InterpretingQuality.PDFVIP

www.cetljournal.co.uk A study on the role of the Interpreter when Assessing the Oral Interpreting Quality Xiaohui Lian Department of Foreign Language and Literature, Henan University of Economics and Law, China lianxiaohui@ Abstract: The oral interpretation quality assessment (OIQA) has long attracted the researchers’ attention. Organizers, speakers, and interpreters of a conference have different expectations for the outcomes of the oral interpretation. Among various approaches of the OIQA, such as the principles of “faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance”, “correctness, smooth, quickness” and “flexibility”, or other influencing factors, e.g., the speakers voice, speed and tone, the “invisibility” of the interpreter becomes more and more important in OIQA. By reviewing the history of the research of OIQA, this article examines the related theories and practices and put forth the concept of “invisibility” of the interpreter as an effective approaches to assess QIO. The article noticed that the “invisibility” of the interpreter runs through both the process and the outcome in assessing QIO. The article also put forth the practical ideas to embrace this invisibility to achieve high performance in OIQA. Key words: interpreter, assessment, oral interpreting quality, invisibility Introduction Oral interpreting is the process during which the interpreter translates the source language into the target language only a few seconds after the speaker or when the speaker pauses for interpretation to boost mutual understanding, which is especial