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Role Shift:

A technique used in signed languages to indicate a change in speaker (signer) or perspective through physical shifts and non-manual signals.
 

The term "role-shift" is primarily associated with signed languages, particularly American Sign Language (ASL), and refers to a technique used by signers to indicate a change in speaker or perspective within a conversation. It involves physical shifts, such as changes in body orientation, facial expressions, and gaze direction, to represent different characters or speakers.
 

While "role-shift" is a specific concept in signed language interpreting, the underlying idea of distinguishing different speakers or perspectives is also essential in spoken language interpreting, though it is achieved through different means.

 

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Notes: 

 

In the context of spoken language interpreting, such as interpreting from Spanish to Russian, "role-shift" is not a commonly used term. Instead, spoken language to spoken language interpreters might use terms like "reported speech" or "quoting" to describe the process of conveying what another person has said. In spoken language interpreting, distinguishing between different speakers usually relies on linguistic cues, such as changes in pronouns, tense, and the use of introductory phrases like "he said" or "she mentioned."

So, keep in mind that "role shift" is a term that tends to show up when discussing sign languages.

Reported speech, quoting, and/or third person interpreting are terms that are more commonly used in spoken language interpreting (but not ASL interpreting) to convey what someone else has said using linguistic cues rather than physical shifts. The interpreter explicitly indicates that they are reporting someone else's words. For example, the interpreter might say, "The witness states that she saw the accident."

 

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