TV simultaneous interpreting of proper nouns from English to Arabic in King Charles III's speeches

The study examines the challenges and strategies employed in the simultaneous interpretation of proper nouns (PNs) from English to Arabic, specifically focusing on King Charles III's televised addresses following Queen Elizabeth II's death. These speeches, broadcast live by Arabic-speaking television channels (Al Jazeera, Sky News Arabic, and France 24), presented a unique context for analysis due to the high-stakes nature of the content, the live interpretation setting, and the inherent cognitive demands on interpreters. The significance of the study lies in its focus on a relatively under-researched area: the interpretation of PNs in TV simultaneous interpreting (TV SI) between English and Arabic. The scarcity of highly skilled TV interpreters specializing in this language pair, coupled with the lack of comprehensive training programs in the Arab world, underscores the importance of understanding the strategies and challenges involved. The study aims to (1) classify the types of PNs in the speeches based on internal syntactic structure, (2) identify the interpreting strategies used, and (3) correlate PN category and employed strategies. This involves outlining the key concepts of TV SI, including its unique characteristics compared to other forms of interpreting, and providing a framework for analyzing the interpreting strategies employed, drawing upon existing models such as Gile's Effort Model and Kalina's typology of interpreting strategies. The context of live political speeches is highlighted, emphasizing the limited processing time and cognitive load placed on interpreters. The challenges of interpreting PNs are discussed within this framework, emphasizing the complexity of handling culturally specific names and the potential for cognitive overload.

The paper draws upon existing literature on interpreting strategies, particularly Kalina's (1992, 1998) work categorizing strategies into comprehension and production strategies, encompassing source-text, target-text, emergency, repair, and global strategies. Riccardi's (2005) distinction between skill-based and knowledge-based strategies is also considered. The classification of proper nouns by Särkkä (2007) into central, extended, and descriptive proper nouns provides the framework for analyzing the source language data. The literature also addresses the specific challenges of TV simultaneous interpreting, noting the cognitive demands, time constraints, and lack of preparation typical of this mode of interpreting (Al-Jabri, 2017; Darwish, 2006; Lee, 2011). The existing research on English-Arabic interpreting and the scarcity of research focusing on proper nouns within this language pair are highlighted as motivating factors for this study. Gile's Effort Model (1995) is mentioned in relation to the cognitive load on interpreters, particularly when dealing with challenging linguistic units such as proper nouns.

The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. The corpus consisted of three English speeches by King Charles III and their simultaneous Arabic interpretations from Al Jazeera, Sky News Arabic, and France 24, accessed via YouTube. The speeches included King Charles III's address to the nation, his appearance before the Accession Council, and his address to the UK Parliament. The data preparation involved manual transcription of both English and Arabic versions, ensuring accuracy through multiple hearings and cross-checking. English proper nouns were identified and categorized according to Särkkä's (2007) typology (CPNs, EPNs, DPNs). The Arabic renditions were then analyzed to identify the interpreting strategies employed, drawing upon Kalina's (1992, 1998) typology and supplemented by the work of Al-Salman and Al-Khanji (2002) on strategies specific to English-Arabic interpreting. The analysis involved both a quantitative count of the strategies employed for each category of proper noun and a qualitative assessment of the appropriateness and effectiveness of these strategies in the context of TV simultaneous interpretation.

The analysis revealed that a total of 39 proper nouns were identified across the three speeches, distributed across the three categories as follows: CPNs (16, 41%), DPNs (12, 30.8%), and EPNs (11, 28.2%). CPNs, being the simplest form of proper nouns, were most frequently handled through transliteration (45.8%), although omission (37.5%) was also a significant strategy due to the time constraints of simultaneous interpretation. For DPNs, omission (38.9%) and compression (16.7%) – both emergency strategies – were most common. This is attributed to their length and the potentially lower familiarity of less common terms. Translation and translation plus transliteration were also employed (13.9% each) reflecting the need to convey the meaning inherent in descriptive proper nouns. EPNs showed a different pattern, with translation plus transliteration (69.7%) being the most dominant strategy. This combines the transliteration of the central proper noun component with the translation of the descriptive element. Omission, transliteration and compression were also observed for EPNs, but at lower frequencies (around 9-12%). The study revealed a correlation between proper noun category and the chosen interpreting strategies. CPNs were most often transliterated, DPNs were frequently subject to omission and translation/transliteration combinations, and EPNs were largely handled through translation plus transliteration. Emergency strategies were frequently employed, reflecting the pressures of live TV simultaneous interpreting.

The findings highlight the significant role of emergency strategies (omission and compression) in live TV simultaneous interpreting, particularly when dealing with proper nouns. The choice of strategy seems heavily influenced by the type of proper noun, with simpler nouns (CPNs) being more amenable to transliteration, while more complex ones (DPNs and EPNs) often required more complex or even emergency strategies. The high frequency of omission and compression underscores the limitations of real-time interpretation under pressure and highlights the need for interpreters to make rapid decisions about what information to prioritize. The findings support the idea that interpreters utilize a range of strategies, shifting between deliberate and automatic choices based on their assessment of the cognitive load and time constraints of the moment. The results contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and strategies involved in simultaneous interpretation of proper nouns in a high-stakes, culturally diverse context. Future research could explore the impact of different training methods on the strategies employed, investigate the audience's perception of these interpreting choices, and further refine the typology of interpreting strategies for this specific context.

This study categorizes proper nouns in King Charles III's speeches and analyzes interpreting strategies used by TV interpreters. CPNs were predominantly transliterated, DPNs often omitted or translated, and EPNs usually rendered via translation plus transliteration. Emergency strategies were frequent due to live interpretation's time constraints. Future research should investigate the impact of interpreter training and audience perception of these strategies.

The study is limited by its focus on three interpreters from specific channels. A larger sample of interpreters and channels could provide a more comprehensive understanding of interpreting practices. The focus on King Charles III's speeches limits the generalizability of findings to other speech contexts. Further research with a larger and more varied corpus is needed to confirm these findings and explore their implications more broadly. The subjective nature of strategy identification, despite the use of established typologies, also represents a limitation.