Non-cognitive Causes of Imprecision in Consecutive Interpreting in Diplomatic Settings in Light of Functionalism

The translation literature is replete with discussions on the need of precision in interpretation. However, the functional theories, for instance, emphasize the role of function rather than precision, as being of primary importance. This study is aimed to highlight this priority in diplomatic settings where imprecise renderings may be needed by consecutive interpreter for subject-specific reasons. These causes are, mainly, non-cognitive, and classified into 3 groups in the paper, namely, commissioner-, commission- and commissionee-originated causes. It is suggested that in the consecutive interpreting of “sensitive” diplomatic texts, precision is not necessarily a norm. Though the research was made with Turkish-English language pair, the general conclusion of the unsuitability of maintaining blind faith in precision can readily be applied to any other language pair in the process of interpreting, in such sensitive settings.