Kia ora koutou and welcome to this kōrero! NZSL interpreter strategies for rendering codeswitching (English/ Te Reo Māori) from spoken source texts

Résumé fourni par la source

Codeswitching between English and te reo Māori is common in public discourse in Aotearoa New Zealand, notably at institutional events such as meetings, conferences, and ceremonies. NZSL interpreters are often assigned to interpret at such events due to official language status and accessibility provisions. Codeswitching takes two forms: intra-sentential (switching or inserting languages at word, clause or phrase level), and inter-sentential (switching languages between sentences or longer passages) (Poplack 1980). Working from a source message that contains either form of codeswitching can present challenges for interpreters which are rarely considered in relation to their presence. Like the general population, most NZSL interpreters are not proficient in te reo Māori and they have varying levels of vocabulary knowledge. When speakers at events codeswitch into te reo Māori to fulfil tikanga functions, or make heavy use of word/ phrase-level codeswitching to signal cultural alignment, NZSL interpreters face decisions about how to render source text meaning (which might be inaccessible for them to varying degrees) and whether/how to signal the speaker’s sociopragmatic intent by choosing to insert Māori vocabulary. Prompted by our own experience and observation of interpreting, we undertook a research project in which we identified NZSL interpreters’ strategies in examples of authentic recorded events, and also sought their perspectives about demands and decisions in such circumstances. This presentation will share highlights from our findings about evolving practices in our current sociolinguistic context. While our research focuses on the experience of NZSL interpreters, we predict this issue has relevance to interpreters of other languages in Aotearoa New Zealand and we hope to stimulate discussion with the wider NZSTI audience.

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