Managing metalinguistic references in bimodal interpreted discourse: An analysis of an American Sign Language-English interpretation

When people use language to talk about language, for quoting words and sentences verbatim, making puns, or incorporating figurative expressions, they exploit language for its so-called metalinguistic function. When language is used in this referential manner, interpreters face a challenge because they must translate not only the meaning of the message, but also provide information about its production. In bimodal interpreting, the difference in language modality (spoken vs. signed) plays a crucial role in the decisions interpreters make to render metalinguistic references in discourse. We examined a video recording of a speaker delivering a lecture in English, which was rendered into American Sign Language (ASL) by an interpreter. We analyzed 51 signed language renditions of metalinguistic references made by the speaker, which included references to American Sign Language and English words, signs, and sentences. The strategies used to interpret the metalinguistic references in the source text included: fingerspelling (16), description (2), signing without interruption (25), pointing (1), and multiple strategies (7). In her rendition, the interpreter exploited deictic references used by the speaker to render metalinguistic references. Finally, the interpreter frequently shifted her eye gaze from the audience to the speaker (or to the PowerPoint) to visually access information or, possibly, to re-direct the eye gaze of the audience from herself to the speaker. These results contribute to understanding the strategies that bimodal interpreters draw upon to render metalinguistic references in discourse.