Interpreting Vague Language: Beginning

Created by Daniel Greene in 2013

A Study in Vague Language - BeginningDaniel Greene, MA, NIC Master


Who am I?

Recently got my Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies, with an emphasis in Teaching Interpreting, from Western Oregon University, where I wrote my thesis “Keeping it vague: A study of vague language in an American Sign Language corpus and implications for interpreting between English and American Sign language.”


Who are you?How many K–12 interpreters?

How many postsecondary?

How many community?

How many legal/judicial?

How many VRS/VRI?

Have you ever encountered vague language in your work?


1 fifteen–minute break

Agenda3 CEUs3 hours =


Questions?

Stop me, or

Wait-n-see, or

Pass me a note, or

Email [email protected]?


Workshop DescriptionParticipants will explore the phenomenon of vagueness and the expression of vagueness in language, study vague language (VL) theory, analyze the communicative purposes and social meanings of VL, and consider the variables involved in interpreting & translating VL.


Learning Objectives1.Define vagueness and give

examples of vagueness in natural phenomena and social life.

2.Define vague language (VL).

3.Name at least five functions, or communicative purposes, of VL.

4.Describe where interpreters and translators confront VL and how they tackle it.


Essential Questions

How do people interpret vague language without an interpreter?

How do interpreters interpret vague language?


What is Vagueness?


Define: Vaguevague |veɪg|adjective

of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning: many patients suffer vague symptoms.

thinking or communicating in an unfocused or imprecise way: he had been very vague about his activities.

DERIVATIVESvague•ness noun,vagu•ish adjective

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French, or from Latin vagus ‘wandering, uncertain’ (New Oxford American Dictionary).


Williams, 1994“A concept is vague:

if the concept's extension is unclear;

if there are objects which one cannot say with certainty whether belong to a group of objects which are identified with this concept or which exhibit characteristics that have this predicate (so-called "border-line cases");

if the Sorites paradox applies to the concept or predicate.”


The Sorites ParadoxHow many grains of sand do you have to remove from a heap of sand before it is no longer a heap?


What do you suppose is vague in the world, other than vague language?


Borderline case: “The circle both is and is not next to the square.”


What color is this?


Take a longer look…


Vagueness and Communication


Confusion is part of communication“…if communication depends on the construction of meaning from cues, and if communicators do not have direct access to others’ meanings or intentions, then what we should expect is partial communication. Successful communication requires our attention and explanation”(Wilcox & Shaffer, 2005).


How do you suppose people make sense of vague language?


The Toolmakers Paradigm“Imagine…a huge compound, shaped like a wagon wheel. Each pie-shaped sector of the wheel is an environment…at the hub of the wheel there is some machinery which can deliver small sheets of paper from one environment to another…people in these environments have learned how to use this machinery to exchange crude sets of instructions with one another— instructions for making things helpful to surviving…” (Reddy, 1993).

17%

17%

17% 17%

17%

17%


Consumer Collaboration/Communication Model (Greene, 2011–2013)

Some consumers are each other’s family, friends, classmates, coworkers, etc. They know each other better than the interpreter knows them.

Some consumers communicate fairly well without an interpreter— using rudimentary language, contact language, facial expressions, gestures, writing, speech & lipreading (or signing when not calling through VRS)

Some consumers know each other intimately and use vague language with each other in an intimate register that leaves the interpreter out.


Consumer“Language A”

Consumer“Language B”

Language A+B

Interpreter

Consumer Collaboration =Group MembershipInsider Knowledge

Communication Strategies

Cultural/Linguistic

FluencyCultu

ral/Lin

guisti

c

Fluen

cy


Working definitions of vague language


Peirce, 1902

Quotation: “A proposition is vague where there are possible states of things concerning which it is intrinsically uncertain whether, had they been contemplated by the speaker, he would have regarded them as excluded or allowed by the proposition” (emphasis added).

Translation: Something is vague when a person is uncertain whether or not it is a certain way. Does of a certain age extend to 80, 90? What does this & that include/exclude? How soon is soon? How many is a few? When is it past noonish— 12:05, 12:10, 12:15, 12:20? How cute is kinda cute?


Peirce, 1902 (continued)

“By intrinsically uncertain we mean not uncertain in consequence of any ignorance of the interpreter, but because the speaker’s habits of language were indeterminate; so that one day he regard the proposition as excluding, another as admitting, those states of things. Yet this must be understood to have reference to what might be deduced from a perfect knowledge of his state of mind; for it is precisely because these questions never did, or did not frequently, present themselves that his habit remained indeterminate.” (emphasis added)


Channell, 1994

“An expression or word is vague if:

1.it can be contrasted with another word or expression which appears to render the same proposition;

2.it is purposely and unabashedly vague;

3.its meaning arises from the ‘intrinsic uncertainty’ referred to by Peirce.”


Trappes-Lomax, 2007

“I tend to the more inclusive approach, taking as VL any purposive choice of language designed to make the degree of accuracy, preciseness, certainty or clarity with which a referent or situation (event, state, process) is described less than it might have been.”


Greene, 2013

“VL is a set of linguistic forms people employ to moderate the accuracy, certainty, clarity or specificity of a statement.”


Vague Language (VL) is not:

Unfocussed, uninformative, sloppily

constructed, poorly articulated, badly written, or incomprehensible to those who know the

speaker.

Ambiguous language like “porcelain egg container” or

“The chicken is ready to eat” whose “vagueness” usually serves no social

function.

Language you don’t

understand because you

lack knowledge


VL is…

IntentionalApproximate

Pragmatic

Nonspecific

Social

Polysemous


VL is universalFound in every language studied so far, including ASL.

Used more in speaking than in writing.

Predominant in casual discourse but exists in formal discourse and “frozen” texts.

A characteristic of native fluency.


Where do you see VL?

Intimate or casual conversations (street talk, slang)

Teachers talking shop (professional jargon)

Illicit or secretive exchanges (mischief, scheming)

Frozen texts such as literature, film, music, theater

What other kinds of VL do you interpret?


Communicative Purposes of VL


Why do you suppose people use VL?


Purposes of VLreduce social distance, imply group membership, develop rapport

be concise, relevant, informative, non-pedantic

be flexible, allow for alternatives, collaborate, co-create meaning

be polite, manage tension, save face, avoid losing face

Promote group identity, protect individual identity

Share blame/credit with others, avoid taking responsibility alone


Paul Grice’s Conversational MaximsMaxim of Quantity: Be succinct. Say as much as necessary, but not too much.

Maxim of Quality: Be honest. Only say what you have evidence for and believe to be true.

Maxim of Relation: Be relevant. Make your contribution relevant to the interaction.

Maxim of Manner: Don’t be ambiguous (or vague)


Violating the Maxim of Manner“Indirect Strategies” (Brown & Levinson, 1987 in Hoza, 2007)

Be ambiguous, be vague

Overgeneralize

Displace hearer

Be incomplete, use ellipsis


“And you know what that means!”“Flouting the Maxims” and “Humorous Conversational Implicature” (Cutting, 2007)

“Well you know what he’s like.”

“…and you know what that means.”

“…and I don’t have to tell you what that means.”

How can we handle such implications?


Interpreting vague language


Interpreting is not the problem“The problem is not interpreting. It is not that English is indirect and that ASL is direct as Humphrey and Alcorn (2001) and others would have us view it. It is not that translation equivalents are hard to find (indeed, they are, but that pales in comparison to the real problem). It is not that ASL is direct and elaborative and relies on expansion techniques while English is indirect and non-elaborative (Lawrence 1995; Humphrey & Alcorn 2001). The problem is that our models of interpreting simply do not do justice to the act of communicating. In trivializing the cognitive work that is done whenever we communicate with another we fail to prepare interpreters for the awesome and mysterious task that they perform: speaking for another.” (Wilcox & Shaffer, 2005)


Everyone is an Interpreter:Discuss!1.“Speaking for another” does not minimize the “cognitive work that is done

whenever [people] communicate with [each other].” They “work” at “interpreting” each other’s messages.

2.What kind of “work” do you do when you’re communicating with another in your first language? In your second language? Through an interpreter?

3.How much work should the consumers do, and how much work should the interpreter do? Why?

4.How do I know how much work they would do if they were speaking the same language in the same culture?


How do you suppose interpreters & translators handle vague language?


Options for interpreting VL

Vague to explicit

Explicit to vague

Vague to vague

Ignore the vague

Ask for clarification


Found: translated texts less vague than source texts(Quantitative corpus studies by Olohan & Baker, 2000;Razuaité, 2010)


ASL is “the backbone of Deaf Culture” (National Association of the Deaf)

“Language and culture are inseparable.” (folk wisdom)

“Language is communication; while usually verbal, language can also be visual. … Culture, on the other hand, is a specific set of ideas, practices, customs and beliefs which make up a functioning society as distinct. … Finally, languages are not solely defined by their developing culture.” (Robin, WikiAnswers)

“What has been written about Deaf culture (much of which is anecdotal, not empirical) should not be confused with what has been written about ASL (much of which is empirical, not anecdotal). (Greene, 2013)

What is the relationship between language & culture?


Challenging Stereotypes

“Hearing are vague; Deaf are blunt.” (cf. Hoza, 2007)

“Hearing are indirect; Deaf are direct.” (cf. Mindess, 1999)

“Deaf people take a long time to get to the point.” (cf. Smith, 1996)

“ASL is not a vague language” and/or “There is no vague language in ASL.”


NAD-RID CPC illustrative behaviors applicable to interpreting VL

“render the message faithfully by conveying the content and spirit of what is being communicated, using language most readily understood by consumers” (2.3).

“conduct and present themselves in an unobtrusive manner” (3.5).

“demonstrate respect for consumers” (4.0).

“facilitate consumer access and equality, and support the full interaction and independence of consumers” (4.4).


1. How do consumers communicate

independently? Why do they do this?

2. How can I tell when consumers don’t need

me? How can I get out of the way?

3. How can I tell when consumers need me?

How can I step back in?

4.How do I know when to interrupt for clarification?


Persecutor Rescuer

Victim

The Rescue Triangle


The rescuer gets to:

Save the Victim, Be

the Hero

Meet their own

needs

Justify their own

anger

Keep the Victim dependent on them

Feel good about

themselves


Interpreters = Interrupters?“Many teachers find the ‘lust’ to clarify and explain irresistible” (Rowland, 2007). Do interpreters have the lust?


Should the interpreter interrupt?

Are the consumers using VL? How can the interpreter tell?

How might the interpreter defeat the purpose of VL by clarifying?

What harm might the interpreter do by interrupting?

What good might the interpreter do by interrupting?


Drawbacks to Interrupting

Breaks flow of conversation, throws off train of thought

Shifts focus from consumers to interpreter

Assumes responsibility for communication

Deprives consumers of natural consequences, self-correction, and rapport

Defeats the purpose of VL


VL Research and Literature


Vague LanguageJoanna Channell, 1994


Vague Language ExploredJoan Cutting (Ed.), 2007


It’s Not What You Sign, It’s How You Sign ItPoliteness in American Sign Language (Jack Hoza, 2007)


Spoken language corpora (all of which have been studied for vague language)

Birmingham Collection of English Text

Cambridge and Nottingham Corpus of Discourse in English (CANCODE)

Cambridge and Nottingham Corpus of Academic English (CANCAD)

Cambridge and Nottingham Subset of Corpus (CANSOC)

Collins Birmingham University International Language Database (COBUILD)

COURTCORP (trial talk in UK courts)

Hong Kong Corpus of Spoken English (HKCSE)

Limerick Corpus of Irish English (LCIE)

Limerick and Belfast Corpus of Spoken Academic Discourse (LIBEL)

Nottingham Health Communication Corpus (NHCC)

Oxford Corpus of the English Language

Parallel Corpus of the Lithuanian Language


Signed language corpora (none of which have been studied for VL)

Australian Sign Language Corpus (Auslan Corpus)

British Sign Language Corpus Project (BSLCP)

German Sign Language Corpus (DGS-Korpus)

Netherlands Sign Language Corpus (Corpus NGT)

Air Travel Information System (ATIS)

German Sign Language (DGS)

Irish Sign Language (ISL)

South African Sign Language (SASL)


National Center for Sign Language and Gesture Resources (NCSLGR)The only ASL Corpus.Studied for vague language by one researcher— Greene, 2013.


Wrap-up and Next upEvaluations, contact, next workshops


Contact Me at [email protected]


A Study of Vague Language: Intermediate and Advanced

Intermediate, 9a–noon: Participants will explore the forms of vague language (VL) in English and ASL; participants will categorize vague forms into parts of speech and learn how each part of speech fulfills its functions in language; participants will develop a vocabulary of VL in ASL and English.

Advanced, 1–4p: Participants will search written, spoken, and signed texts for vague language (VL); participants will devise and perform translations for vague texts; participants will practice interpreting vague texts both consecutively and simultaneously; participants will analyze vague language in consumer interactions and make ethical decisions using critical thinking, including the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct and Demand-Control Schema.

Interpreting Vague Language: Beginning

Education

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