Updated September 18: 166,449 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. We have all heard about the interpretation of an actor's role on stage or a piece of music by a pianist. It seems that this word is associated primarily with art and has nothing to do with everyday life.
Meanwhile, each of us constantly interprets , because this process is one of the stages of learning about the world around us.
So, let's understand what interpretation is, how it manifests itself in different areas of human life, and how the meaning of a word varies depending on the field of application.
What it is?
Translated from Latin, the word interpretatio means explanation, interpretation ).
Interpretation is a set of meanings attached to some elements of a theory (formulas, signs, symbols).
This definition of the term gives us an explanatory philosophical dictionary. In humanitarian knowledge, it is used in a meaning close to the word “understanding”
In a broader sense, interpretation is a way of being based on understanding and interpreting the meaning of something.
Synonyms for interpretation:
- interpretation;
- a comment;
- clarification of meaning;
- transcript.
Perceiving information from the environment, each person analyzes it in his own way. Of course, there are ideas and concepts that are common to everyone, but since all people have individual thinking, the same phenomena are interpreted differently.
Often this process occurs unconsciously (at the level of sensations, moral norms, rules of behavior laid down in childhood, and worldview). When a person uses his knowledge to decipher any data, the interpretation is directional in nature (for example, translations of texts from foreign or complex scientific languages into a native or easier to understand language).
You can interpret anything : information, events, dreams, laws, musical and literary works, films and even analyses.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nikolai Moiseev wrote: “Different interpretations reflect only certain features of reality. No more! And they cannot always be consistent with each other, and sometimes they can contradict each other.”
Formula No. 10.9
If β is equal to zero, this means that the original sample (its histogram) is symmetric: β=0
If β is greater than zero, then the sample is said to have positive or right skewness, that is, a wider range of values is located to the right of the sampling mode: β>0
If β is less than zero, then the sample is said to have negative or left skewness, that is, a wider range of values is located to the left of the sampling mode: β<0
Excess!
One of the measures of variability is kurtosis, which allows us to characterize the degree of peakedness (sharpness) of the distribution of sample elements, that is, an analogue of a histogram. Typically kurtosis is denoted (γ -sigma) and is calculated using the following formula:
Formula No. 10.10
If gamma is greater than zero, then the original data are said to correspond to a peak distribution: γ>0.
If gamma is less than zero, then the original data are said to correspond to a flat top distribution: γ<0.
If gamma is equal to zero, then the original data are said to correspond to the mean-vertex distribution (the normal distribution has this property): γ=0.
If β equals zero, then this means that the original sample (its histogram) is symmetric: β=0 If β is greater than zero, then the sample is said to have a positive or...
Interpretations in various areas of life
“Artists, writers, journalists try to interpret reality. Politicians and lawyers are changing it” (Kathy Lette).
Interpretation manifests itself in different areas:
- in philosophy - when translating complex works and works of thinkers into a more understandable language;
- in the humanities, to interpret is to interpret the meaning of texts (historical sources, literary works, translations);
- In computer science, interpretation is an interpreter program that executes instructions written in programming languages into machine language;
- in politics, representatives of different political movements interpret legislative acts and articles differently;
- in jurisprudence, the lawyer and the prosecutor interpret the same law based on each of their goals. Just on this topic, watch a short lecture in the video below:
What can be interpreted in music
In the art of music, interpretation means the process of transforming a score (notation) into a work that reflects the individual consciousness of the performer. How it turns out depends on the skill, personal qualities of the musician and his affiliation with any musical direction.
The essence of interpretation in music was accurately expressed by composer A.N. Serov: “The great secret of great performers is that they illuminate what they perform with the power of their talent from within, putting into it a whole world of sensations from their own soul.”
Every significant piece performed by a talented musician introduces changes to the composer’s original idea. With the same musical text, performance options can differ markedly from one musician to another, or even from one person to another at different times.
One of the best interpreters of violin music, L. Auer, wrote: “There is no precisely established way for an artist to perform a piece of music. The performer's duty is to penetrate into the spirit of the composition and reveal the composer's intentions."
Criteria for the accuracy of critical information analysis
The basis for properly assessing a critical analysis according to the criteria outlined above is the need to establish the accuracy and verifiability of the information. Accuracy or verification of details is an important part of the evaluation process, especially when the researcher encounters the information channel for the first time. The accuracy of the estimate is based on the source of information, date, and search results. And again in more detail:
- A source of information. The source relies on other sources cited or self-referenced. Individuals and/or sources who provided the original published or unpublished data are identified. The original information that was used can also be checked for accuracy.
- Date of. The date of occurrence of information has a direct bearing on its relevance. For information publications, date is one of the most important criteria. In addition to the immediate date of appearance of information, the regularity of its updating and dating of the sources of original information, if any, are important.
- Searching results. If information was found on the global network as a result of searching, you should remember that the algorithm of the search engine differs from working with a library catalogue. In addition, search engines often push paid sources of information to the top results, so work with the search engine should be carried out by an analyst especially carefully.
Critical analysis of information is its expert assessment by an analyst. Unlike quantitative methods, qualitative analysis requires consistent and accurate assessment according to specified criteria. If analytical work is carried out systematically, using rating scales for reliability, validity and completeness, then they can be correlated with the results of information analysis at different points in time. This is how a matrix of probabilities of the criteria of the information field under study is built. When the matrix is ready, the analyst must become a skeptic and impartially evaluate the data obtained. After this, the critical analysis is considered complete, and the information studied is considered reliable.
Think about your last bad decision. Think about what it is connected with: positivism or negativism? Remember this point and next time use a critical analysis of the information. And to become more proficient in this matter, take our Critical Thinking course.
We wish you good luck and the ability to always think correctly!
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- Hyperception: what is it and how does it threaten us all?
- Communication theory
- 7 Statistical Analysis Techniques Anyone Can Use
- Critical analysis of information: quickly and easily
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Key words:1Cognitive science
In painting
Works of painting are always considered as a subject of interpretation. It is necessary to take into account the difference between two pictures of the world - the artist and the contemplator:
- the first draws a work based on the reality around him, his worldview and feelings;
- the second can only guess what the author wanted to say with his painting, whether his perception (what is it?) corresponds to the artist’s idea.
The works of abstract artists (W. Kandinsky, K. Malevich, P. Picasso) perhaps need this most of all.
When painting in this style, the master uses a visual language of shapes, lines, contours and colors to interpret the subject. This is very different from traditional painting styles, in which objects are interpreted closer to generally accepted ideas.
Results
Let's return to our interpreters. The word “interpretable” is also used in modern colloquial speech. This concept is interpreted as “becoming clear to understanding.” It is in this sense that the word is used in everyday communication. Even the profession of “interpreter” appeared. This is an engineer who analyzes the entire array of data necessary to control mining. Such a varied use of a well-known word may lead to the emergence of other meanings of the word “interpreter”. But how far the new values will be from the initial ones - the future will show.
Interpretations in literature
Phraseologisms, polysemantic words, epithets, metaphors and other means of artistic expression of language can make it difficult to understand literary works. The same word can be interpreted in different ways (especially if it has changed its lexical meaning over time).
For example, now the word “factor” is understood as the driving force of a process. But in the 19th century texts it was about a printing house worker: “The factor explained their gaiety by admitting to him that the typesetters were dying of laughter typing Gogol’s book.” Now such a text would cause bewilderment: how can a factor explain something?
Works of art in a foreign language need interpretation . Often translations by different authors differ from each other and do not always accurately reflect the idea contained in the original. Differences arise not only due to the individual or professional qualities of the translator, but also due to unaccounted for national characteristics, regional aspects of the language characteristic of a particular area.
Goethe's poem “The Traveler's Night Song” has been translated into 130 languages. It was translated into Russian by Lermontov, Bryusov, Annensky and Pasternak. Each translation has its own characteristics. No translation is alike.
The correct interpretation of a text can be called an art . A striking example of real mastery is the translations of Shakespeare's sonnets by S. Marshak and B. Pasternak.
The same sonnet is translated differently by writers, and some researchers note that their translation turned out to be more imaginative than the original texts, thanks to the lexical richness of the Russian language.
Exact sciences
In mathematics and other sciences, some interpretation is always implied. Any mathematical theory is based on things that do not need explanation or proof from the very beginning. The simplest example of such a logical structure is Euclidean geometry, which bases its entire base of theorems on several axioms. Each subsequent theorem builds on the previous one. Such a ladder clearly shows the interpretation of theoretical constructs characteristic of modern science in general. The simplicity of the discoveries of the late Renaissance is a thing of the past - since the 19th century, any mathematical discovery began with some assumption that did not require proof. This is how the geometry of Lobachevsky and Riemann arose. Nowadays, interpretation is the operating principle of applied mathematics, which, acting on specified principles, is capable of solving problems of a very high order.
What is interpreted in psychology
This concept also has its meaning in psychology.
Here, interpretation is the doctor’s explanation to the patient of his state of health, the nature of obsessive thoughts, disturbing symptoms, dreams or associations.
If you give a person the opportunity to explain the meaning of his experiences, you can interpret the problem simultaneously from the conscious and unconscious. Sometimes people become hostage to their stereotypes, because of which they cannot see the forest for the trees.
Many psychologists work with drawings and tests. Based on the results obtained, conclusions are drawn about the state of the patient’s mental health. Attention is paid to details, which are drawn differently for each client.
Dream interpretation is a rather complex method that belongs to the field of social psychoanalysis. To correctly interpret the meanings of sleep, the help of a specialist is necessary. Its decoding allows us to expand our understanding of the sphere of unconscious perception of the surrounding world.
Understanding. Meaning of the text
Understanding is the central concept of hermeneutics. According to G. G. Gadamer, understanding is achieved primarily through speech. Understanding is non-mechanical, non-rational and holistic. Understanding is interpersonal in nature and requires “the cognitive talent of the individual.” understanding occurs in direct communication between several people, most often two. This aspect of understanding is primary and most important. Hermeneutics focuses on understanding, which is carried out on the basis of texts, mainly written ones. Thanks to this, hermeneutics is close to philology.
Understanding, according to the judgments of G. G. Gadamer, is not reduced only to the rational sphere, to analysis and logical operations, to the activity of the human intellect. Therefore, understanding is more like artistic creation than scientific work.
Understanding constitutes the unity of two principles. Firstly, there is an intuitive comprehension of the subject directly on the basis of understanding. Then interpretation arises, which is designated by the term “interpretation.” It is thanks to the interpretation of the text that the incompleteness of the initial understanding is overcome, but at the same time, understanding is also misunderstanding.
Interpretation is a secondary component of understanding.
Note 3
The meaning of a text is not only what is put into it by the speaker, consciously or intentionally; the meaning of the text is also what the reader extracts from it.
According to L. S. Vygotsky, the meaning of a word is the totality of what it evokes in human consciousness. Meaning is dynamic, complex, and has several zones of varying stability. That word network in a new context easily changes its meaning. Therefore, statements have many meanings, they can be explicit and hidden, conscious and unconscious. Therefore, the text turns out to be capable of being modified and enriched in various contexts of perception, in particular, in multiple interpretations.
