A Description of Various Types of Omissions, Additions and Errors of Translation Encountered in Simultaneous Interpretation

Abstract

The simultaneous interpreter's version may depart from the original in three general ways: material may be omitted, added, or substituted. A coding system is presented which includes four categories of omission (skipping, comprehension, delay, and compounding omissions), four categories of addition (qualifier, elaboration, relationship, and closure additions), and five categories of substitution or error (mild and gross semantic errors, mild, substantial, and gross phrasing changes). Examples of each type are given along with relevant data. The material was collected in the context of an investigation involving three classes of interpreter (professionals, students, and amateurs) translating a number of different types of text from or into French or English.