Page 252 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

230 Helen Spencer-Oatey and Jianyu Xing

Ma: no, no, in this whole thing I felt [interpreter’s name] … played a very im-
portant role at this moment. …
Chen: As far as [interpreter’s name] is concerned, he went beyond his respon-
sibility didn’t he
Lin: this is the point [several chorus agreement]
Chen: [interpreter’s name]’s interpreting is too brief, and sometimes he puts
his own opinions into his interpreting, that won’t do. this is not the way
of interpreting.

Presumably the interpreter felt that he needed to convey accurately the chair-
man’s request for self-introductions, and that is why he interrupted the dele-
gation leader when he started giving a brief speech. He ignored Chinese con-
ventions regarding formal speeches in business meetings of this type, and
insisted on accurate adherence to what the British chairman had asked for. From
the British point of view, however, this was completely unnecessary. In the fol-
low-up interview and video playback with the British chairman, he picked out
this ‘chaotic’ situation prior to the Chinese introductions and commented:

(4) Interview and video playback with Jack, the British chairman
Jack: this was particularly funny this now. this is where I asked them to intro-
duce themselves, and this is where they went into total chaos, and it just
didn’t work out. … I thought, well, you know, and that’s where you
wonder well what did the translator say.
Res: he was trying to give a return speech, he was expressing their thanks to
[British company name], then he was cut short by the interpreter. the in-
terpreter actually told them just to introduce themselves, just tell their
names, their position, their interests …
Jack: and that’s interesting, so it goes back to the point of our concern about
interpretation, because if the interpreter said to me that they are just
making a return speech, then it would have been fine.

So from the Chinese visitors’ point of view, it was both appropriate and polite to
make a return speech before the introductions. From the British chairman’s
comments, it is clear that he would have been quite happy with this. However,
from the interpreter’s perspective, he wanted the British chairman’s initial re-
quest to be carried out exactly, and he intervened to ensure that it was. His con-
cern for accuracy, and his disregard for Chinese conventions regarding formal
speeches in business meetings of this type, not only caused unnecessary dis-
ruption to the natural flow of the event, but also caused some hard feelings on
the Chinese side.