A theoretical model to elucidate the elusive concept ‘voice' for interpreters

Wang, C. 2022. A theoretical model to elucidate the elusive concept ‘voice' for interpreters. Perspectives. 30 (4), pp. 569-584. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1922472

TitleA theoretical model to elucidate the elusive concept ‘voice' for interpreters
TypeJournal article
AuthorsWang, C.
Abstract

This paper is an attempt to elucidate the concept of voice for interpreters in relation to the equally elusive concept pleasant voice for interpreters. The point of departure is that the concept voice for interpreting has to do with the physical properties of a speaker’s voice, which may lead to the effect that a speaker’s voice is heard as pleasant or unpleasant by a listener, depending on how a speaker uses or deploys these physical properties. The paper employs an interdisciplinary approach to reviewing relevant literature and shows that for better interpreter education and interpreting assessment, there is a need to unravel, and unify existing understandings of the concept voice. A new definition is therefore proposed. The new definition consists of a cluster of suprasegmental features resulted from supralaryngeal and laryngeal activities and incorporates in what are traditionally known as fluency features in interpreting. The paper goes on to discuss the potential benefits and implications of the newly proposed definition for both interpreter training and interpreting studies.

KeywordsVoice
pleasant voice
interpreting
interpreter education
interpreting assessment
JournalPerspectives
Journal citation30 (4), pp. 569-584
ISSN1747-6623
Year2022
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Accepted author manuscript
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Publisher's version
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1922472
Web address (URL)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1922472
Publication dates
Published online31 May 2021
Published in print2022
Supplemental file
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)

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