Interpreting in an African Political Setting: the Challenge of Fulfilling the Fidelity Criterion

Abstract

This study primarily examines the notion of fidelity when interpreting political texts. In particular, it analyses the potential challenges an interpreter may face in an attempt to bridge the communication gap between African and European civilisations when interpreting in a political context. In theory, an interpreter is required to remain faithful to the source text and at the same time ensure that the target text is functional and acceptable in the culture and situation of the target audience. In practice, however, this is usually difficult because expressions that appear to be equivalents in the source and target languages based on their denotations and the concepts they refer to may not be equivalents if their connotations are put into consideration. Major focus is thus on the challenges an interpreter is likely to face in an attempt to achieve the fidelity criterion that is required of interpreters.