FORUM. Revue internationale d’interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation - Volume 24, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

As a distinct genre, opening remarks serve the purpose of welcoming the audience and setting the tone for the event. This study conducted a corpus-based move analysis on opening remarks to explore their rhetorical structure and linguistic features. Seventy-four opening remarks delivered by leaders of the American Institute in Taiwan at international conferences from 2018 to 2022 were collected for analysis. Eight major move types (and 30 component steps) were identified: Set the Scene; Acknowledge Organizers, Distinguished Guests, and Attendees; Highlight the Significance of the Theme; Highlight the Organization’s Efforts and Commitments; Recognize the Host’s Efforts and Significance; Emphasize Friendship and Collaboration; Highlight Global Efforts; and Conclude the Remarks. Although the rhetorical elements in the remarks are mainly fixed, each remark shows its unique interweaving of moves and steps, exhibiting both regularity and flexibility. Linguistic features are highlighted at the end of this paper to expand interpreter trainees’ conference English repertoire.

Abstract

Universities are  keen to enhance employability skills in graduates to address a perceived skills gap and volunteering may provide a solution (Barton et al. 2019, Ellis Paine et al. 2013), explored here as part of the conference interpreting training journey.

The case-study, using a sample of thirty practising conference interpreters who all engaged in Volunteering Conference Interpreting (VCI) at some point, drew from a mixed-method data collection : participants reflected on the part played by VCI, either in  or post-training, through a questionnaire and interviews, to establish whether they saw any benefit or issues with the practice, when it seems most timely and how academia can support a beneficial and ethical engagement with VCI.

Based on this case study, VCI is deemed valuable, providing academia plays its part to ensure it is done ethically and with the profession in mind.

Abstract

This study explores how the English translations of Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s Buru Quartet have been shaped through paratextual strategies and other editorial choices. Through comparative analysis of the Indonesian “Liberation” edition and the first and second English editions, this research investigates the transformation of paratextual elements, including front cover design, translator’s notes, and introductory materials. Employing visual semiotics and paratext theory as analytical frameworks, the study reveals significant modifications in the presentation of these seminal Indonesian novels for English-speaking readers. The analysis demonstrates two primary paratextual interventions: substantial alterations in the visual composition of cover designs and the introduction of supplementary contextualizing materials, i.e., translator’s notes and editorial introductions, designed to bridge cultural and historical knowledge gaps for target readers. These paratextual additions enable English-speaking readers to engage with the complex socio-political landscape embedded in the novels. The findings suggest that such paratextual mediation potentially reconfigures reader reception, positioning Buru Quartet within Anglophone literary discourse as a vehicle for political consciousness-raising that subtly articulates ideological perspectives historically suppressed within the Indonesian political context. More broadly, this study contributes to Translation Studies by demonstrating how paratextual strategies function as sites of ideological negotiation, shaping not only the reception of translated works but also their positioning within global literary and political discourses.

Abstract

This paper investigates challenges in translating context-based Arabic proverbs into English, using Naguib Mahfouz’s novels (Ziqaq Al-Midaq, Awlad Haritna) and their professional translations. Employing a descriptive analytical methodology grounded in pragmatic principles, the study analyzes 15 selected examples, scrutinizing how translators handle semantic-pragmatic divergence, cultural specificity, complex linguistic features (metaphor, irony), and religious connotations. Findings emphasize the power of context in determining a proverb’s operative meaning and reveal the general inadequacy of literal translation strategies for capturing the intended communicative force, or implicature. Obstacles include subtle irony recognition, deciphering culturally-bound metaphors, bridging disparate religious/social knowledge systems, and preserving linguistic artistry. The paper stresses prioritizing pragmatic equivalence and cultural sensitivity, calling for flexible, context-driven, and pragmatically-informed methods to achieve effective cross-cultural communication when translating Arabic proverbs into English.

Abstract

The impact of modality on viewers’ comprehension of Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) in subtitled audiovisual content remains insufficiently explored, and existing studies rely heavily on subjective self-reported measures with a small sample of participants. The present study seeks to provide more concrete evidence by exploring how modality (unimodal vs. crossmodal CSIs) and translation strategy (source text-oriented vs. target text-oriented) impact the comprehension of Malay-subtitled CSIs in Chinese movies. Data were collected from 222 Malay participants via an objective multiple-choice questionnaire. The tests were administered across four experimental conditions that systematically varied the two factors: modality and translation strategy. The findings demonstrate that the target text-oriented strategy enhances comprehension for both unimodal and crossmodal CSIs, and more importantly, crossmodal CSIs consistently improve comprehension compared to unimodal CSIs, regardless of the translation strategy. These findings suggest avenues for improving subtitling practices in audiovisual products.

This article reviews Translation and Big Details: Part-Whole Thinking as Practice and Theory