DISCOURSE MANAGEMENT AND RAPPORT-BUILDING: THE ROLE OF BACKCHANNELS IN REMOTE INTERPRETING
Öz
This study explores the role of backchannels in remote interpreting settings, specifically their function in rapport-building among interlocutors. Previous literature has emphasized interpreters as active participants in meaning negotiation, but limited research exists on backchannels in remote contexts, where nonverbal cues are often restricted. A discourse analytical approach is adopted to examine the interplay between lexical and nonlexical backchannels in a 40-minute corpus obtained from an online business interview. The findings reveal that interpreters use backchannels strategically to maintain engagement and foster collaboration, compensating for the absence of visual cues such as facial expressions and gestures. The study highlights the importance of backchannels in remote interpreting, offering valuable insights into how interpreters manage communication dynamics and contribute to the construction of mutual understanding in such settings. The study also calls for further discourse-focused research to explore the role of backchannels in supporting smooth, collaborative exchanges by improving our understanding of their impact on communication dynamics and the role of the interpreter in managing these interactions.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Discourse Management, Rapport-Building, Backchannels, Remote Interpreting, Business Meeting
Kaynakça
- Altunay, S. - Aksan, Y. (2018). Hayır and yok as pragmatic markers in Turkish: Findings from Spoken Turkish Corpus. Mersin University Journal of Linguistics and Literature, 15(2), 23-43.
- Amato, A. et al. (eds.). (2018). Handbook of remote interpreting - SHIFT in orality. University of Bologna: AMSActa.
- Angelelli, Claudia V. (2004). Revisiting the interpreter’s role. A study of conference, court, and medical interpreters in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Amsterdam, Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
- Bal-Gezegin, B. (2013). How do we say NO in Turkish? : A corpus-based analysis of hayır and cık in Turkish. Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi, 10(2), 53-73.
- Bjørge, A. K. (2010). Conflict or cooperation: The use of backchannelling in ELF negotiations. English for Specific Purposes, 29(3), 191-203.
- Braun, S. - Davitti, E. (2018). Video-mediated interpreting. Handbook of remote interpreting- SHIFT in orality, (eds.: A. Amato et al.), 103–136, University of Bologna: AMSActa.
- Brown, G. - Levinson, S. C. (1987). Politeness: Some universals in language usage. New York: Cambridge Press. Cavents, D. et al. (2025). Towards a multimodal approach for analysing interpreter’s management of rapport challenge in onsite and video remote interpreting. Journal of Pragmatics, 235, 220–237.
- Clancy, P. M. et al. (1996). The conversational use of reactive tokens in English, Japanese, and Mandarin. Journal of Pragmatics, 26(3), 355–387.
- Cutrone, P. (2005). A case study examining backchannels in conversations between Japanese-British dyads. Multilingua, 24(3), 237–274.
- Davitti, E. - Braun, S. (2020). Analysing interactional phenomena in video remote interpreting in collaborative settings: Implications for interpreter education. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 14(3), 279–302.
