Interpreting strategies and creativity

Conference interpreting (simultaneous and consecutive) is the result of cognitive processes, of which language comprehension and production are the most relevant. Language comprehension is always a dynamic, active process. If the interpreting process is considered a problem-solving activity where the source-text is the problem and the target-text the solution, then it follows that it is the interpreting mode, the fact that interpreting is ‘on-line’, that leads to a creative process. In this study, the omparison of the interpreting performance of professional interpreters and students indicates that the latter are not able to cope easily with sentences carrying long phrases in left dislocation and tend to eliminate portions of the text as a consequence of cognitive strain or working-memory overload. Professionals have developed strategies to avoid loss of text and are able to cope with a greater working-memory overload. Their interpreting may be defined as productive or creative thinking, continously adapting to the input message. This study stresses how acquired, automatic, routine solutions are applied together with ad hoc, creative solutions by the professionals.