Interpreting - Volume 28, Issue 1, 2026

Abstract

There has been a growing interest recently in the psychophysiological correlates of interpreting affect-laden content. Such an examination could provide crucial insights into affective language processing in the highly cognitively taxing task of interpreting. We tested how professional interpreters process affect-laden and neutral content when interpreting. Using a multi-method approach, we employed psychophysiological measures (electrodermal activity and heart rate), response times and a self-report tool to study their emotional reactivity to negative, neutral and positive sentences. These were interpreted both from the participants’ native language (L1; Polish) into their foreign language (L2; English) and in the opposite direction. We found more pronounced physiological arousal and self-reported emotional states in response to affect-laden content compared to neutral sentences, which was observed in both interpreting directions. Behavioral results (response-time data) also supported these findings, showing longer processing times for affect-laden sentences than for neutral ones. The outcomes offer a novel contribution to the cognitive and affective dimensions of interpreting.

Abstract

Given the rise of video remote interpreting (VRI), it is surprising that there is limited research on interpreters’ multimodal management of interpersonal relations in this interpreting mode. This study addresses this gap by investigating how interpreters manage rapport challenges in onsite interpreting (OSI) and VRI. It provides a quantitative analysis of interpreters’ use of embodied resources, verbal resources, and strategies when conveying rapport challenges in both modalities. The article analyses 28 video recordings (14 OSI and 14 VRI) involving professional interpreters and role-players in the context of a reception centre for asylum seekers. The interactions were coded using a coding scheme based on Spencer-Oatey’s Rapport Management Theory. The findings indicate that interpreters use significantly fewer verbal and embodied resources to manage rapport challenges in VRI in comparison to OSI. The study also shows that interpreters in VRI employ fewer mitigating strategies, which might be attributed to the increased sense of security and physical distance provided by the modality. These findings highlight the impact of VRI on interpreters’ multimodal management of rapport challenges and seem to suggest that interpreters possibly adapt their strategies based on the affordances of the interpreting method.

Abstract

We have recently witnessed a number of studies conducted to employ n-gram-based machine-translation evaluation metrics such as BLEU to assess human interpreting automatically. A major limitation of this research lies in the non-probabilistic sampling of a limited number of renditions. Consequently, the correlation coefficients calculated between machine and human assessments, which serve as a proxy for machine–​human parity, lack generalizability. Against this background, we conducted a battery of replications of Han and Lu (2023) in order to evaluate the efficacy of three n-gram-based automated metrics — BLEU, NIST and METEOR — in the assessment of interpreting. Our replications are based on a self-curated corpus involving a total of 1,695 interpretations across different modes and directions of interpreting, based on various source speeches. Following the replications, we also conducted a four-level meta-analysis to produce an overall estimate of the machine–human correlation and to identify potential moderators. Our main findings are that the replication success rate for BLEU was above 95%, followed by NIST (at about 70%) and METEOR (at about 40%); the overall machine–human correlation was rs = .638; and the three significant moderators identified were the direction of interpreting, the reliability of human scoring and the type of automated metrics. Our study has methodological and practical implications for conducting interpreting research and assessment.

Abstract

Despite numerous studies revealing how interpreters are rendered invisible and marginalized in media discourse, less scholarly attention has been devoted to cases where interpreters are portrayed as central figures in the news media. Few attempts have been made to examine the narrative dimension of image projection, particularly the ways in which semiotic resources are maneuvered to transform past events into interpreter-centered narratives, constructing an image of interpreters both diverging from and associated with prevailing public perception. Drawing on the notions of news narrative and framing, the current study reveals an unusually prominent and independent image of the Chinese interpreter featured in the Chinese social media news coverage of the 2021 China–US Alaska talks. The study identifies the interpreter’s core image as a “national star” that encompasses three key connotations: a beautiful star, a role model and a national representative. It also unveils three framing strategies that orchestrate multimodal resources to construct the image in news narratives: selective contrasting, temporal reframing and causal configuration. It finally explores the underlying reasons behind the image projection, positioning this atypical image of the diplomatic interpreter against the multiple backdrops of prevailing public stereotypes of interpreters, self-representations of practitioners and broader Chinese political and diplomatic narratives.

Abstract

Deafblind people have complex interpreting needs that often go beyond interlingual transfer. Their communicative profiles vary across various modes — visual, tactile and verbal — yet comparatively little is known about the repertoire of modes used by interpreters who work with deafblind people. Existing research shows that the communicative capacities and preferences of deafblind people encompass close-range signing, visual frame signing, tactile signing, haptics, print-on-palm, re-speaking and Protactile. This article presents empirical findings of 149 deafblind interpreters’ reported practices relating to their mode and frequency of work. Our overview of interpreter practice is followed by an examination of interpreters’ training experiences. This mirrors the typical path for interpreters, who first gain sign-language interpreting skills and then develop deafblind-specific sign-language interpreting skills as they start to work with deafblind people. Where pre-practice training was available, it seldom included content on deafblind communication beyond a basic introduction, if at all. Thus, the acquisition of knowledge and skills about deafblind interpreting, for most but not all, usually occurs after commencing work in the field. Focusing on responses that report on the positive aspects of professional development training, we conclude by providing recommendations on knowledge areas, skills and activities that could be catered for during training for interpreters looking to work in this field and also for those already practising as deafblind interpreters.

This article reviews The Routledge handbook of interpreting, technology and AI978-0-367-51300-9

This article reviews Conference interpreting explained978-1-032-80035-6