Interpreting - Volume 27, Issue 2, 2025

Abstract

Interpreting corpora serve as the descriptive foundation of research and the ‘ground truth’ against which machine interpreting technologies are evaluated. However, access to corpora remains a critical bottleneck in interpreting studies due to data collection and processing challenges and the absence of interpreting- and translation-specific corpus publication venues. In this article, we present two technical infrastructures that facilitate corpus access: a metadata schema which standardises corpus description and the Unified Interpreting Corpus (UNIC) platform for data and metadata search and publication. Guided by the internationally established FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability) and CARE (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility and ethics) principles for scientific data management and stewardship, we designed the infrastructures based on a review of 125 spoken and signed language interpreting corpora, relevant international standards and community knowledge and also by using open-source technologies. Feedback obtained from interpreting students, researchers and interpreters demonstrates greater perceived usefulness of and satisfaction with UNIC compared to general-purpose search portals. Overall, we illustrate a value- and consensus-driven path towards optimising the use of interpreting corpora and the careful curation of new ones, which avoids the duplication of effort, helps to chart research directions and fosters co-design with communities.

Abstract

This study examined the mobilisation of linguistic resources negotiated in an interpreter-mediated interaction in a semi-transparent linguistic constellation in which English, a language of widespread diffusion, is one of the languages spoken. The case under study is part of a larger corpus of public service interpreting data collected in Italian healthcare settings. It involved four participants: an Italian paediatrician, a Ghanaian paediatric patient accompanied by his father and a bilingual English–Italian mediator. The semi-transparent nature of the setting is due to the fact that the two languages used in this interaction are at least partially known to all the participants and not only to the bilingual mediator. Therefore, both the doctor, who has a reasonably good command of English, and the patient’s father, who has a limited command of Italian, make use of both English and Italian. Applying conversation analysis, the study examined the practices adopted by the participants to negotiate the different modes of communication available: relying on interpreting or resorting to direct talk in either English or Italian. The results show that the mediator’s task of interactional coordination is highly affected by the semi-transparent linguistic constellation, since the interpreting itself becomes an object of negotiation. The study is able to provide guidance to mediators on how to coordinate interactions in which both interpreting and direct talk are possible, an approach that is particularly appropriate when English is one of the languages used in mediated interactions.

Abstract

This article explores the lived experience of signed and spoken language interpreters in the context of Mental Health Act (1983) assessments (MHAAs) in England, based principally on data from 10 interviews from a wider corpus of the Interpreters for Mental Health Act assessments (INforMHAA) study (2021–2024). Informed by Braun and Clarke’s (2022) reflexive thematic analysis and Dean and Pollard’s (2001) Demand Control Schema, the present study investigated the interpersonal demands arising in interpreted MHAAs and the way in which controls are articulated and navigated interprofessionally. The findings reveal adjustments to their practice among a group of experienced interpreters in order to accommodate the interpersonal demands specific to MHAAs, the frames of reference that motivate such adjustments and the extent to which they are consistent with the objectives and practices of assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983. In particular, they help to problematise the principle of the ‘person at the centre’ when language mediation is required and support targeted interventions to enhance interprofessional working prior to, during and after assessments.

Abstract

Professional development (PD) has become a regular, if not mandatory, activity in some occupations. Among interpreters, levels of interest in and rates of uptake of PD appear to vary. In Australia, PD was introduced as mandatory for newly certified interpreters in 2014. From 2019, PD became mandatory for all interpreters wishing to gain or retain the credential ‘certification’; this requirement remained optional only for those who retained the old credential of ‘accreditation’. This study draws on the responses from more than 2,500 interpreters who were surveyed at the end of this transition period in relation to uptake rates, availability, barriers, benefits, usefulness, alignment to work and future aspirations. PD uptake among the study cohort is more than 80%; however, almost 40% of the participants reported that suitable PD is not readily available. Common barriers to PD uptake include the high cost and unsuitable timing and/or location. Aside from compliance fulfilment, the general benefits to be gained from PD include the acquisition of knowledge and skills in fields that interpreters currently work in and also those in further fields. However, a cross-tabulation of interpreters’ perceived need for the augmentation of knowledge or skills and the ability of PD to achieve this yielded mixed results. Interpreters’ reported preparedness to attend further PD is at a level higher than their actual reported attendance. Furthermore, PD is not shown to be a clear enabler for those aspiring to a higher level of certification for which further training is otherwise required.

Abstract

This study evaluated the prevalence of burnout among sign language interpreters in postsecondary settings in the United States. A standardized occupational burnout measure was used in a cross-sectional online survey and was distributed nationally. The findings revealed that 18 percent of interpreters reported experiencing burnout, with significant differences being observed across demographic groups. Specifically, a higher proportion of interpreters with disabilities and LGBTQIA+ individuals reported burnout compared to their peers. This article contributes to our understanding of burnout in the field and could possibly inform retention strategies aimed at reducing interpreter attrition and respond to the overall shortage of sign language interpreters. Further research is needed to investigate the unique stressors and experiences that contribute to burnout, particularly among marginalized groups, in order to raise awareness and to develop support systems.

This article reviews The quality of live subtitling: Technology, user expectations and quality metrics978 36 319 1728 2

This article reviews The Routledge handbook of interpreting and cognition978-0-367-27726-0