Construal of content

Interpreting requires a nuanced understanding of language, and Wilcox and Shaffer (2005) propose that interpreting is enhanced by adopting a cognitive model of communication rather than the conduit model implicit in many interpreting pedagogy models. The present study used a cognitive linguistic approach to investigate affective constructions in American Sign Language (ASL). Relative cognitive linguistic principles are reviewed in the context of English affective constructions and applied in reporting the ASL findings. Then the article explores how these theoretical concepts can support meaning-transfer work. Specifically, Langacker’s Stage Model (2008) is expanded as a framework for comparing source and target text construals of events and for presenting a message with equivalent impact through different language-specific strategies.