ABSTRACT
The pragmatic significance of modal particles in interpreted discourse has not received much attention in dialogue-interpreting research. Particularly in instances of interpretation between languages that differ in the frequency of use of modal particles, the way in which interpreters deal with the pragmatic intention of such discourse markers merits investigation. This study is based on the analysis of five passages from an authentic asylum interview held by the German immigration authorities and interpreted between German and English. The use of modal particles is a prominent feature of the immigration official's questioning technique, which seems designed to reduce distance and improve rapport, while urging the applicant to provide more detailed information about himself. The interpreter is found to introduce pragmatic changes by rendering questions less forceful or reducing the openness of questions. Modal particles used to convey casualness are omitted by the interpreter, as are particles that subtly indicate the immigration official's growing scepticism. The overall effect of the interpreter's deletion of pragmatic content from the official's questions on the discoursal atmosphere may have crucial consequences for the goal of the encounter: to establish the applicant's story of persecution and, above all, the truth of his assertions.
