Im/politeness and interpreting

Abstract

In this chapter on the interpretation of politeness and impoliteness (im/politeness), im/politeness is considered as a discursive concept that exists in the way language is perceived and evaluated. This facet of pragmatics is therefore integral to the building and maintenance of interpersonal relationships but can present a significant challenge for interpreters because evaluations of im/politeness vary between different languages and cultures. Key perspectives and common themes within translation and interpreting studies literature are explored, including the affordance of familiarity with clients and context on the way im/politeness is interpreted. One theme relates to the degree of directness or indirectness involved, which may result in interpreters employing a variety of strategies, including hedges, prosody, toning down face threatening acts (FTAs) and use of third person. The influence of interpreters’ personal identity is another theme, which in some situations may manifest through use of particular terms of address. The chapter highlights the need for a greater focus on im/politeness and rapport management within interpreter training and continuous professional development (CPD), and the value of more explicit connections between translation and interpreting studies and the theoretical foundations within cross-cultural and intercultural im/politeness research.