TRANSLATION AND SIGNED LANGUAGE: HIGHLIGHTING THE VISUAL-GESTURAL MODALITY

Abstract Linguistic Studies and Sign Language Translation and Interpreting Studies have highlighted the characteristics and effects of the visual-gestural modality. Considering this, we briefly study the translation and interpreting processes that occur between a visual-gestural and a vocal-auditory language, which have been termed intermodal, as opposed to processes that take place within the same language modality (intramodal). We distinguish translation process from the interpreting process, demonstrating that although these processes share several characteristics, they are operationally and cognitively different. Based on this, we reflect on the modality issue regarding the categorization of the intermodal processes, translation and interpreting, and their impacts on them. We have seen that the study of modality and its effects on the translation and interpreting process must be conceived as one of the elements of translation competence for the intermodal translator or interpreter.抽象语言学研究与手语翻译及口译研究均已揭示了视-手势模态（visual-gestural modality）的特征与作用。鉴于此，本文简要探讨发生于视-手势语言与有声-听觉语言之间的翻译与口译流程——这类流程被称为跨模态（intermodal）流程，与同一语言模态内开展的流程（即单模态intramodal流程）相对。本文将翻译流程与口译流程加以区分，阐明尽管二者具备若干共同特征，但在操作层面与认知层面均存在差异。在此基础上，本文围绕跨模态流程、翻译与口译的分类所涉及的模态问题，以及模态对这些流程的影响展开反思。我们的研究表明，针对模态及其对翻译与口译流程的影响的研究，应当被视为跨模态译员翻译能力的构成要素之一。