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The successful performance of many interpreting professionals can be acquired with formal instruction without any reference to formal research. Without any theoretical sessions much can be gained from the practiceoriented instruction by experienced interpreters whom one can regard as masters of the craft. However, research and science are part and parcel of the discipline and status of the interpreting profession. With few exceptions, interpreting research has for many years focused on the cognitive processes of what is happening when one is interpreting (Gile, 1995; Gerver, 1996; Moser-Mecer, 2002). Apart from this research that has been going in the international arena, interpreting in Africa as a profession and as a research discipline is still in its formative years. This article investigates the potential of developing research into interpreting studies for the African context which necessitates its own research options, priorities and methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current demography and the language reality in our country necessitate that translators and interpreters should become more visible and need to play a more prominent role in our society. By supporting qualified translators, interpreters and translation projects we will help to facilitate the language reality. This ought to form part of the democratisation process in our country. This article attempts to investigate the role of translation service delivery in such a context and in such a way it can assist that multilinguatism is being viewed as an asset, but also to sensitise language users of their language rights. The ultimate goal is to address the elitist and symbolic nature of translation and interpreting and to ensure that it has practical value for language users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses problems in rendering source-texts in multilingual and multicultural societies, such as those in South Africa, in which there are heterogeneous target audiences for a translation. It is pointed out that translators in such societies must take into account the heterogeneity of the target audiences, or otherwise translation will be only symbolic gestures, empty of value, and thus not communicate the message intended. Using an authentic example of an English-language source text concerning the act of governance of schools in South Africa, the author demonstrates how Afrikaans translators, by means of adaptation, and most of all 'plain language' as defined and used by the target audiences, do make a juridical source text understandable to various audiences to whom the message is communicated in Afrikaans. It is argued that such a functional approach ensures that translations are meaningful acts and it may serve as a paradigm for other multicultural and multilingual countries and institutions. In the discussion, the article uses the notion of truth-conditional relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]