Sight translation is a method used by interpreters to translate written documents such as verdicts, medical records, and agreements, which often involve civil rights and duties, into speech.Research on sight translation generally adopts a strong monologist focus, overlooking its interactional aspects, and the dominant linguistic understanding of sight translation disguises the effects of the modal shift from writing to speech on communication. Multimodal theory considers the choice of mode to be important for meaning-making; one might choose writing for the sake of precision or speech for its interactional potential. The communicative implications of modal shifts in community interpreting settings have not been sufficiently explored. This article presents a critical review of extant research on sight translation and a discussion of the findings based on multimodal theory. Its aim is to refine the understanding of sight translation and, thereby, raise awareness of potential obstacles in communicative practices which in turn may have consequences for civil rights and participating in today’s multilingual Europe.Resumen: Los intérpretes utilizan la traducción a la vista para transformar en discurso oral documentos escritos como veredictos, historias médicas y contratos, que suelen implicar derechos y deberes civiles. En general, la investigación sobre traducción a la vista adopta un marcado enfoque monológico, y deja de lado el aspecto de la interacción. Asimismo, la perspectiva lingüística dominante oculta los efectos que entraña el cambio de modalidad comunicativa, escrita a oral, sobre la comunicación. Según la teoría multimodal, la modalidad influye en la creación de significado: la comunicación escrita favorece la precisión, mientras que la oral fomenta la interacción. Las consecuencias de los cambios de modalidad sobre la comunicación en la interpretación en contextos públicos no han recibido suficiente atención investigadora. En este artículo se presenta una revisión crítica de la literatura sobre la traducción a la vista y sus conclusiones desde la perspectiva de la teoría multimodal, con el objetivo de contribuir a su comprensión y concienciar sobre posibles obstáculos en la comunicación, que, a su vez, pueden derivar en consecuencias para los derechos civiles y la participación ciudadana en la Europa multilingüe de la actualidad.

This paper presents an analysis of three roleplayed interpreted institutional meetings in which sight translation is part of the interaction. The analysis is based on multimodal (inter)action analysis and utilises the analytical tool of modal density as indication of attention/awareness. This analytical framework is novel in interpreting studies. The data include filmed material from an experimental setting and participants' reflections about the situation. The findings show variations in sight translation practices and that the shift from interpreting to sight translation affects interactional patterns, particularly social actors' attention and agency. In my discussion of agency in sight-translated interaction, I argue that interpreters, in addition to translating, need to pay attention to interactional issues related to attention and agency caused by the interpreting method.

In this chapter, we will provide updated knowledge in the discussion of how to define sight translation. Furthermore, we will present a discussion of best practices in sight translation in a health care context, not only related to the process of sight translating, but also to challenges regarding the listener's accessibility to sight translated texts. Furthermore, we will present our curriculum for sight translation at Oslo Metropolitan University and explain the rationale behind it based on theoretical knowledge from extant translation studies and the theories of semiotics and multimodality. We will argue that sight translation needs to be treated as a unique interpreting method that requires special training, and we will conclude with suggestions for further research.