Interpreting as a multimodal activity: a descriptive analysis of the verbal and non-verbal features of cross-language communicative events

A wide range of contexts may come to mind when thinking of interactions and exchanges: from the chat at the bar to the dialogue on the telephone, from the discussion in group to the oral test in classroom. What constantly appears are social actors who convey pieces of information under determined conditions. Over the last few years, the number of cross-cultural interactions has significantly increased due to various phenomena such as globalisation and migration and languages have turned out to be a real barrier in many situations. In most cases the figure of the interpreter is required in order to have a successful communication exchange. Unlike the monolingual conversation, interpreters carry out their multiple tasks to produce the target version of the source message. As opposed to the traditional idea of the invisible interpreter, they are social beings visibly present during the process who must convey the original message, not necessarily the same words, as accurately and precisely as possible. In any communicative event, moreover, people get their message across not only with words, but also with their body even if in many cases subconsciously. For this reason, attention should be drawn to non-verbal communication since some actions may have consequences on the target text produced by the interpreter. In line with this, the aim of the present dissertation is threefold: a clear analysis of the interpreting activity will be provided in order to shed light on the main aspects of this communicative exchange and the traditional idea of the interpreter as a neutral conduit of information. A description of the frequent non-verbal features at play during the interpreting session will be given to consider whether they may influence the end quality of their target output. A case of study on student’s opinions about teaching interpreting will conclude the dissertation.