Linguistic and cognitive aspects of translation and interpretation skills

Abstract

Translation, as a multidisciplinary scientific field, receives a lot of attention from sociology, psychology, computer sciences, information technologies and from linguistics, from which it originates. With the advances in technology in the 21^st century, studies show that translation is not a sterile linguistic activity, but a reflection of a set of skills and capabilities of the translator/interpreter (T/I). In this respect, the formation of translation competence and related practices requires a thorough perception of worldwide affairs embodying value systems that a language holds framed through sociocultural practices. The achievement of the nature of both source and target languages, henceforth, allows for the establishment of effective linguistic competencies. In turn, such sociolinguistic, communicative, strategic, pragmatic and semiotic competencies provide the T/I with the opportunity to consider the translation/interpretation task from a variety of perspectives, all of which might initially seem independent of each other, but which are inherently correlated in their nature. Especially, the study of the physical properties of speech (phonetics/phonology) help interpreters perceive a wide range of sounds for fluency and strategic thinking. Therefore, it can be said that translation/interpretation is a communicative activity, to be recognized and acknowledged by practitioners more in the sense that language – the tool of the craft – is a reflection of value systems framed through sociocultural practices and a mindset formulated with critical and creative thinking. Coming to terms with this understanding is believed to play a key role in the way translation/interpretation is perceived and, hence, its success upon implementation. In accordance to this framwork, the present paper provides a set of key qualities that account for a T/I’s success.