ABSTRACT

This chapter is devoted to the orientation most affecting communication and translation. The two extremes ‒ high- and low-context communication (HCC and LCC) ‒ refer to whether the communication assumes no context (LCC), so that all the meaning is evident in the text; or whether much if not all the important meaning is actually to be found not in what is said or written, but in the context (HCC). Development of Hall’s theory by other interculturalists includes many other orientations within the HCC/LCC divide, which are listed here. Linguistic theory concerning ‘context’ and implicitness is also discussed.

Recent research on brain lateralization shows a correspondence with both gender differences and with the LCC/HCC division; while the English language is shown to be structurally LC, with the American variant even more so. The chapter concludes with a survey of headlines of the same event from three national newspapers using Halliday’s patterns of experience. The results point to an Anglo preference for dynamic rather than stative verbs, and instrumental rather than emotive language. The chapter also discusses how much translators ‒ and in particular, interpreters ‒ should intervene to mediate between HCC and LCC styles.