2.1 Sight Translation
ST is a hybrid between written translation and interpreting in that the source text is written and the target text is spoken (Agrifoglio, 2004; Setton & Motta, 2007). In ST, the source text remains visually accessible to the interpreter (Gile, 1997; Agrifoglio, 2004).
Compared to CI and SI, ST has some added difficulties, and ST’s cognitive demands are in no way less than those of CI and SI. First, the information contained in written materials may mostly be much more intensive than that in improvised oral expression, and the wording in written materials is often more sophisticated, and vocabulary richer. Besides, spoken language promotes instant understanding of ideas, which written text cannot match. Second, in many cases, the speaker does not speak exactly according to the text, but uses it as an outline of the speech, with additions and deletions, or other improvisations. Third, there is serious source language interference in ST, which has been confirmed by several scholars. Gile (1997) claims that in ST, source-language interference may be greater than in CI and SI, because in translation from oral source, once uttered, the exact words articulated by the speaker die away more quickly from memory, but in ST, source text is all along presented before the sight translator.