Rhetorical Theory

This textbook is chiefly dedicated to interpretation students and possibly to other peaple interested in interpreting studies. In eight chapters, it deals with various theoretical and practical problems concerning the profession of interpreter. These are consequently formulated as instructions with the aim of improving the preparation of future interpreters. Thus the aim of the textbook is to provide students with a support in acquiring the appropriate culture in the public speaking. The publication itself results from pedagogical practice of interpretation teachers from their own experience with active interpreting as well as with training of public speaking in their mother tongue.
The first chapter is entitled Translation as a conscious activity. It describes the differences between translation and interpretation. It also outlines the cultural and historical context of interpretation as both a practice-oriented activity and a scientific discipline, from the first attempts at collecting, summarizinge, systemizinge and classifying the knowledge gathered to the current discussions over specific problems and issues.
The second chapter – Interpretation as communication – analyzes the specific aspects of this kind of rendition and the competences, including personality traits, which interpreters should possess as a consequence.
The third chapter – Interpreter as orator – focuses on interpreters as autono-mous authors of an utterance. It also outlines the paralinguistic and extralinguistic elements of communication, shows students how to cope with stress and other elements influencing their public performance.
The fourth chapter – Communication situations in interpreting – deals with communication situations which imply the use of interpretation – in all social sectors – with preference given to the Slovak language. It also analyzes the particular aspects of political public speaking.
The fifth chapter – The Slovak language as a communication code – is dedica-ted to the mother tongue and its cultivation. It points out some mistakes and styleistic flaws in Slovak public speaking and it also displays the linguistic characte-ristics of the Slovak language as a source language in the interpretation process.
The sixth chapter entitled Message of Antiquity for modern rhetorici focuses on the rhetorical theories of Classical Antiquity concerning public speaking. It contains an overview of the major Greek and Roman orators and it describes the development of rhetoric and homiletics in the course of the first centuries of Christian era up to the Middle Ages.
The seventh chapter – The rhetorical minimum for an interpreter – is a prac-tical manual of sorts. It contain information and tips to prepare efficiently for a public speech, which is intended as a training activity for interpretation lessons.
Finally, the eighth chapter – Common Latin expressions and maxims in the speech of today’s orator – is a sort of selective dictionary comprising Latin words and phrases used in contemporary Slovak. It also includes explanations of their origin and examples of their usage.
The textbook The Interpreter as a speaker is based on translation theory, communication theory, psycholinguistics, pragmalinguistics, as well as, general and specific rhetorical knowledge. Its goal is to help students improve their rhetorical skills. It also deals with some of the ethical aspects of the profession – the responsibilities of an interpreter, the extent to which modifications in the rendition are admissible, professional standards, etc. In addition to an excellent knowledge of the source and target languages, interpretation students need to develop good communication and public speaking skills.
This publication aims at eliminating scarcity and errors in the use of spoken language and in public speaking. The absence of efficient rhetorical preparation at university and in schools in general is a major flaw of any education system. Moreover, by writing this textbook the authors aim at filling the existing gap in the book market since there has not been written so far a similar manual of the kind in Slovakia.

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