Consecutive Interpreting at a Literature Festival

This chapter offers a descriptive focus on consecutive interpreting (CI) of interviews in English for an Italian-speaking audience at the annual Mantua Literature Festival in Italy. Introductory remarks on how this relates to more widely studied interpreting scenarios are followed by an overview of practical arrangements for CI at the Festival. Short extracts from interviews with authors are then examined, in each case comparing the English original with a transcription (and back-translation) of the Italian interpretation. A number of features are discussed (e.g. establishing a rapport with the audience, authors’ views on their characters, emotional participation), with tentative conclusions about the interpreter’s approach and priorities in such cases

Action and Interaction in Interpreting

Reference to Goffman in the present article affords a starting point for a discussion of interpreting and interaction, prompting a number of considerations on the mental processes involved in interpreting- hence the inclusion in the title of the broader term "action". The discussion does not purport to be in any way conclusive. lndeed, the very beauty of taking Goffman as a potential vantage point from which to explore a fresh perspective on interpreting studies is that the relevance of the debate is not exhausted in the space of a sing1e article. The essays by Goffman to which reference is made on the following pages are pioneering works in the now flourishing field of sociolinguistics. Though at first sight unlikely, their interest for the interpreting scholar - as well as for the practising or trainee interpreter - is arguably immense. Be i t for the reader to judge whether he or she shares this enthusiasm and, if so, as a premiss for mere academic debate or a basis for further study and observation

Characterising the role of GABA and its metabolism in the wheat pathogen Stagonospora nodorum

A reverse genetics approach was used to investigate the role of γ-aminobutyric acid metabolism in the wheat pathogenic fungus Stagonospora nodorum. The creation of mutants lacking Sdh1, the gene encoding succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, resulted in strains that grew poorly on γ-aminobutyric acid as a nitrogen source. The sdh1 mutants were more susceptible to reactive oxygen stress but were less affected by increased growth temperatures. Pathogenicity assays revealed that the metabolism of γ-aminobutyric acid is required for complete pathogenicity. Growth assays of the wild-type and mutant strains showed that the inclusion of γ-aminobutyric acid as a supplement in minimal media (i.e., not as a nitrogen or carbon source) resulted in restricted growth but increased sporulation. The addition of glutamate, the precursor to GABA, had no effect on either growth or sporulation. The γ-aminobutyric acid effect on sporulation was found to be dose dependent and not restricted to Stagonospora nodorum with a similar effect observed in the dothideomycete Botryosphaeria sp. The positive effect on sporulation was assayed using isomers of γ-aminobutyric acid and other metabolites known to influence asexual development in Stagonospora nodorum but no effect was observed. These data demonstrate that γ-aminobutyric acid plays an important role in Stagonospora nodorum in responding to environmental stresses while also having a positive effect on asexual development.The work was supported by Australian Research Council and Grains Research and Development Corporation

The most problematic symptoms of prion disease - an analysis of carer experiences

Objectives: Prion diseases are rare dementias that most commonly occur sporadically, but can be inherited or acquired, and for which there is no cure. We sought to understand which prion disease symptoms are most problematic for carers, to inform the development of outcome measures. Design: Self-completed questionnaire with follow-up of a subset of participants by structured interview. Setting: A nested study in the UK National Prion Monitoring Cohort, a longitudinal observational study. Participants and measurements: 71 carers, of people with different prion diseases with a wide range of disease severity, identified 236 of their four most problematic symptoms by questionnaire which were grouped into ten domains. Structured interviews were then done to qualitatively explore these experiences. Eleven family carers of people with prion disease were selected, including those representative of a range of demographics and disease subtypes and those who cared for people with prion disease, living or recently deceased. Interviews were transcribed and formally studied. Results: The six most problematic symptom domains were: mobility and coordination; mood and behavior; personal care and continence; eating and swallowing; communication; and cognition and memory. The prevalence of these symptoms varied significantly by disease stage and type. A formal analysis of structured interviews to explore these domains is reported. Conclusions: We make suggestions about how healthcare professionals can focus their support for people with prion disease. Clinical trials that aim to generate evidence regarding therapies that might confer meaningful benefits to carers should consider including outcome measures that monitor the symptomatic domains we have identified as problematic