Abstracts
Abstract
Relying upon a combination of ethnomethodological and sociological tools provided by Hochschild’s (2003 [1983]) theory of emotional labour, this article examines the concept of the interpreter’s neutrality as a form of feeling management at work which requires interpreters to align their behaviours with the norms shaping each interpreting setting. Drawing on the interviews conducted between March and August 2018 with twenty-one interpreters working in various social, cultural, and institutional settings, the study describes the interpreter’s emotional labour in the context of conference interpreting, and argues that the interpreter’s actual task of becoming the voice of the speaker intrinsically involves emotional labour. Achieving neutrality entails suppressing personal beliefs and displaying certain emotions which may not always be genuine in some contexts, and tending to the needs of clients in others. The conceptual framework of emotional labour offers an important analytical tool to re-visit theoretically and empirically not only the notion of the interpreter’s neutrality from a critical perspective, but also the incoherence of professional codes of practice, which oftentimes leaves interpreters in a practical and ethical quandary.
Keywords:
- conference interpreting,
- neutrality,
- impartiality,
- emotional labour,
- interpreting ethics
Résumé
En s’appuyant sur une combinaison de perspectives ethno-méthodologiques et sociologiques offertes par le concept de « travail émotionnel » développé par Hochschild (2003 [1983]), le présent article étudie la neutralité de l’interprète comme une forme de gestion des émotions au travail qui demande aux interprètes de mettre leur comportement en conformité avec les normes régissant chaque contexte d’interprétation. Partant d’une série d’entrevues menées entre mars et août 2018 avec vingt et un interprètes provenant de divers contextes sociaux, culturels et institutionnels, la présente étude décrit le travail émotionnel de l’interprète dans le contexte de l’interprétation de conférence et fait valoir que la tâche véritable de l’interprète, qui consiste à devenir la voix de l’orateur, exige un travail émotionnel. Le fait d’atteindre la neutralité a pour nature, dans certains contextes, d’éliminer des convictions personnelles et d’afficher des émotions qui ne sont pas toujours authentiques et, dans d’autres, de veiller aux besoins des clients. Le concept de travail émotionnel constitue un outil analytique important, non seulement pour interroger théoriquement et empiriquement la notion de la neutralité de l’interprète, mais également pour mettre en relief l’incohérence des codes de déontologie qui placent souvent les interprètes devant un dilemme éthique et matériel.
Mots-clés :
- interprétation de conférence,
- neutralité,
- impartialité,
- travail émotionnel,
- codes déontologiques
Appendices
Bibliography
- AIIC (2016). Practical Guide for Professional Conference Interpreters. [https://aiic.org/document/547/AIICWebzine_Apr2004_2_Practical_guide_for_professional_conference_interpreters_EN.pdf] [consulted October 2, 2020].
- AIIC (2018). Professional Codes of Ethics. [https://aiic.org/document/6299/Code%20of%20professional%20ethics_ENG.pdf] [consulted October 3, 2020].
- Angelelli, Claudia Viviana (2004a). Revisiting the Interpreter’s Role: A Study of Conference, Court, and Medical Interpreters in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins.
- Angelelli, Claudia Viviana (2004b). Medical Interpreting and Cross-Cultural Communication. Cambridge University Press.
- Baker, Mona and Carol Maier (2011). “Ethics in Interpreter and Translator Training: Critical Perspectives.” The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 5, 1, pp. 1-14.
- Bot, Hanneke (2005). Dialogue Interpreting in Mental Health. Amsterdam/New York, Rodopi.
- Camayd-Freixas, Erik (2013). “Court Interpreter Ethics and the Role of Professional Organizations.” In C. Schäffner et al., eds. Interpreting in a Changing Landscape. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins.
- Carstensen, Gunilla and Leif Dahlberg (2017). “Court Interpreting as Emotional Work: A Pilot Study in Swedish Law Courts.” NoFo, 14, pp. 45-64.
- Chaudry, Lubna Nazir (2009). “Forays into the Mist: Violences, Voices, Vignettes.” In A. Y. Jackson and L. A. Mazzei, eds. Voice in Qualitative Inquiry: Challenging Conventional, Interpretive, and Critical Conceptions in Qualitative Research, London/New York, Routledge.
- Cohen, Randy (2010). “Properly Speaking the Improper?”. TheNew York Times Magazine, July 10. [http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/magazine/04FOB-Ethicist-t.html] [consulted October 15, 2020].
- Diriker, Ebru (2004). De-/Re-Contextualizing Conference Interpreting: Interpreters in the Ivory Tower? Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins.
- Garfinkel, Harold (2002). Ethnomethodology’s Program: Working out Durkheim’s Aphorism. Lanham, Rowman and Littlefield.
- Goffman, Erving (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, Doubleday.
- Goffman, Erving (1981). Forms of Talk. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press.
- Hale, Sandra Beatriz (2007). Community Interpreting. New York, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Hale, Sandra Beatriz (2008). “Controversies over the Role of the Court Interpreter.” In C. Valero-Garcés and A. Martin, eds. Crossing Borders in Community Interpreting: Definitions and Dilemmas. Amsterdam, John Benjamins, pp. 99-121.
- Hochshild, Arlie Russell (2003 [1983]). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. Berkeley, University of California Press.
- Hokkanen, Sari (2017). “Experiencing the Interpreter’s Role: Emotions of Involvement and Detachment in Simultaneous Church Interpreting.” Translation Spaces, 6, 1, pp. 62-78.
- Inghilleri, Moira (2003). “Habitus, Field and Discourse: Interpreting as a Socially-situated Activity.” Target, 15, 2, pp. 243-268.
- Inghilleri, Moira (2005). “Mediating Zones of Uncertainty: Interpreter Agency, the Interpreting Habitus and Political Asylum Adjudication.” The Translator, 11, 1, pp. 69-85.
- Inghilleri, Moira (2012). Interpreting Justice: Ethics, Politics and Language. London/New York, Routledge.
- Kalina, Sylvia (2015). “Ethical Challenges in Different Interpreting Settings.” MonTI Special Issue, 2, pp. 63-86.
- Magnifico, Cédric and Bart Defrancq (2016). “Impoliteness in Interpreting: A Question of Gender?” Translation and Interpreting, 8, 2, pp. 26-45.
- Monacelli, Claudia (2009). Self-Preservation in Simultaneous Interpreting. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins.
- Munday, Jeremy, ed. (2008). Translation as Intervention. London, Continuum.
- Plummer, Ken (2001). Documents of Life 2: An Invitation to a Critical Humanism. London, Sage Publications.
- Rabinow, Paul (1977). Reflections on Fieldwork in Morocco. Berkeley, University of California Press.
- Robinson, Douglas (1991). The Translator’s Turn. Baltimore/London, The John Hopkins University Press.
- Rojo López, Ana et al. (2014). “The Emotional Impact of Translation: A Heart Rate Study.” Journal of Pragmatics, 71, pp. 31-44.
- Rudvin, Mette (2007). “Professionalism and Ethics in Community Interpreting: The Impact of Individualist versus Collective Group Identity.” Interpreting, 9, 1, pp. 47-69.
- Scott, James (1990). Domination and Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts. London, Yale University Press.
- Setton, Robin and Erich Prunč (2015). “Neutrality.” In F. Pöchhacker, ed. Routledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies, Abingdon, Routledge, pp. 273-276.
- Setton, Robin and Andrew Dawrant (2016). Conference Interpreting: A Complete Course. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, John Benjamins.
- Stahuljak, Zrinka (2000). “Violent Distortions: Bearing Witness to the Task of Wartime Translators.” TTR, 13, 1, pp. 37-51.
- Tekgül, Duygu (2020). “Faith-related Interpreting as Emotional Labour: A Case Study at a Protestant Armenian Church in Istanbul.” Perspectives, 28, 1, pp. 43-57.
- UN Watch (2013). “Hot Mic Catches UN Interpreter Saying Anti-Israel Votes Are a Bit Much.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7W5tsnd0BE] [consulted October 8, 2020].
- Venuti, Lawrence (2005). “Translating Humor - Equivalence, Compensation, Discourse.” Performance Research, 7, 2, pp. 6-16.
- Wadensjö, Cecilia (1998). Interpreting as Interaction. London/New York, Longman.
- Ward, Jenna and Robert McMurray (2015). TheDark Side of Emotional Labour. London/New York, Routledge.
- World Economic Forum (2009). “Gaza: The Case for Middle East Peace.” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR4zRbPy2kY] [consulted October 8, 2020].