Modelling The Field Of Community Interpreting

The field of community interpreting is characterised by continually changing political, social, institutional and cultural contexts. Over the last few years new approaches to the training of community interpreters have been conceptualised to meet the requirements of these developments and to replace lay interpreters by trained interpreters. The contributions of this volume present both innovative models of didactics and curricula for community interpreters and empirically and methodologically challenging analyses of various fields of community interpreting.

Communicating Across Cultures: A Coursebook on Interpreting and Translating in Public Services and Institutions is a manual which addresses the complex task of interpreting and translating through reflection and practice. The book originated from discussions with those who perform the work of an intermediary because they “know” the languages and cultures, and with those who would like to do this type of work, but who may require more training. Thus, it is directed at people who, due to their knowledge of two languages, serve as liaisons between immigrant communities, visitors, or foreigners and the societies that receive them. More precisely, it is directed at future professionals in public service translation and interpreting. Communicating Across Cultures will equip future professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to act as linguistic, communicative, and cultural liaisons. It will also help improve the communication between the staff of medical, legal, educational, and administrative institutions and their foreign clients.

At conferences and in the literature on community interpreting there is one burning issue that reappears constantly: the interpreter s role. What are the norms by which the facilitators of communication shape their role? Is there indeed only one role for the community interpreter or are there several? Is community interpreting aimed at facilitating communication, empowering individuals by giving them a voice or, in wider terms, at redressing the power balance in society? In this volume scholars and practitioners from different countries address these questions, offering a representative sample of ongoing research into community interpreting in the Western world, of interest to all who have a stake in this form of interpreting. The opening chapter establishes the wider contextual and theoretical framework for the debate. It is followed by a section dealing with codes and standards and then moves on to explore the interpreter s role in various different settings: courts and police, healthcare, schools, occupational settings and social services.

This is a comprehensive overview of the field of Community Interpreting. It explores the relationship between research, training and practice, reviewing the main theoretical concepts, describing the main issues surrounding the practice and the training of interpreters, and identifying areas of much needed research in answering those issues.

'Redefining the Role of the Community Interpreter' questions the traditional notion of 'role' that is so often taught on interpreter education and training courses and, more often than not, prescribed by the Codes of Ethics/Practice/Conduct published by institutional users and providers of interpreting services. By examining the nature of face-to-face interactions and drawing on the most recent research into community and public service interpreting, the authors propose and describe a wholly new approach to the role of the interpreter; one based on research and the experiences of the authors, both of whom have, for many years, taught postgraduate interpreting courses and, for even more years, interpreted in a wide variety of settings, from international conferences to social services departments, from presidential addresses to benefits offices, and from doctors' surgeries to Courts of Appeal. The 'role-space' model treats all interactions as unique and offers the interpreter a tool to prepare for and participate in those interactions. Excellent language skills are taken for granted, as is the integrity of the interpreter; what is new is the freedom of the interpreter to make appropriate professional decisions based on the reality of the interaction they are interpreting.

In Sign Language Interpreting (SLI) there is a great need for a volume devoted to classic and seminal articles and essays dedicated to this specific domain of language interpreting. Students, educators, and practitioners will benefit from having access to a collection of historical and influential articles that contributed to the progress of the global SLI profession. In SLI there is a long history of outstanding research and scholarship, much of which is now out of print, or was published in obscure journals, or featured in publications that are no longer in print. These readings are significant to the progression of SLI as an academic discipline and a profession. As the years have gone by, many of these readings have been lost to students, educators, and practitioners because they are difficult to locate or unavailable, or because this audience simply does not know they exist. This volume brings together the seminal texts in our field that document the philosophical, evidence-based and analytical progression of SLI work.

This volume covers a wide range of topics in Interpreting and Translation Research. Some deal with scientometrics and the history of Interpreting Studies, arguments about conceptual analysis, meta-language and interpreters’ risk-taking strategies. Other papers are on research skills like career management, writing communicative abstracts and the practicalities of survey research. Several contributions address empirical issues such as expertise in Simultaneous Interpreting, the cognitive load imposed on interpreters by a non-native accent, the impact of intonation on interpreting quality, linguistic interference in Simultaneous Interpreting, similarities between translation and interpreting, and the relation between translation competence and revision competence. The collection is a tribute to Daniel Gile, in appreciation of his creativity and his commitment to interpreting and translation research. All the contributions in some way show his influence or are related to the models and research he has shaped.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies is the authoritative reference for anyone with an academic or professional interest in interpreting. Drawing on the expertise of an international team of specialist contributors, this single-volume reference presents the state of the art in interpreting studies in a much more fine-grained matrix of entries than has ever been seen before. For the first time all key issues and concepts in interpreting studies are brought together and covered systematically and in a structured and accessible format. With all entries alphabetically arranged, extensively cross-referenced and including suggestions for further reading, this text combines clarity with scholarly accuracy and depth, defining and discussing key terms in context to ensure maximum understanding and ease of use. Practical and unique, this Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies presents a genuinely comprehensive overview of the fast growing and increasingly diverse field of interpreting studies.

Translation and interpreting can be seen as two special sub-types of bilingual communication. The field of bilingualism—from developmental, cognitive, and neuroscientific perspectives—is highly relevant to Translation and Interpreting Studies. The Routledge Handbook of Translation, Interpreting and Bilingualism is the first handbook to bring together the related, yet disconnected, fields of bilingualism and translation and interpreting studies. Edited by leading scholars and authored by a wide range of established authorities from around the world, the Handbook is divided into six parts and encompasses theories and method, the development of translator and interpreter competence and cognitive, neuroscientific and social aspects. This is the essential guide to bilingualism for advanced students and researchers of Translation and Interpreting studies and key reading on translation and interpreting for those studying and researching bilingualism.