På olika platser i professionaliseringsprocessen

En beskrivning av tre tolkprofessioner och deras väg mot professionalisering

Abstract

This article takes as its point of departure Ozolin's (2000; 2010) survey and framework for different countries’ approaches to meeting interpreting needs. Within this framework, Sweden is placed among countries with significant state involvement. This involvement is evident through inclusive legislation and state-funded training to meet the need for interpreting services. In this article, we describe why the Swedish interpreter professions have reached different stages in the professionalization process. We also show that the professionalization process is not linear, but rather a fluctuating one influenced by contextual factors. Ozolin’s framework is used as a starting point in describing the Swedish context. However, in our description, we differentiate between the three most common interpreting professions in Sweden, conference interpreting, sign language interpreting and public sector interpreting. The different historical factors impacting the professionalization processes of the three professions are important for understanding the interpreting field in Sweden today. The differentiation of interpreting professions also allows us to provide a more fine-grained description of the factors which have affected, and still affect, the development of the three professions. Some factors of particular importance that dominate the current discourse about interpreting are changing political opinions and technological developments. These are examples of factors that, despite state involvement and affirmative legislation, can contribute to slowing down, and in some cases even eroding, the ongoing professionalization processes of the interpreting professions.

Keywords: Interpreting professions, professionalization processes, interpreting services