Engagement and graduation resources as markers of translator/interpreter positioning

Abstract

This article examines the application of appraisal theory ( Martin and White 2005 ) to the analysis of translation. It develops the findings in Munday (2012) , which focused on attitudinal meanings, and explores the potential for the use of engagement resources and graduation as a means of determining translator/interpreter positioning. Using a range of examples from texts of international organizations, it discusses the translation of reporting verbs and intensification as a signal of the translator’s/interpreter’s degree of ‘investment’ in a proposition and control over the text receiver’s response. This is framed within the concept of ‘discourse space theory’ ( Chilton 2004 ) to provide a reference for future work in this field.