«Det går på opplæringen av tolkebrukerne» Fagpersoners forventninger til forsvarlig tolking – tolkers erfaringer fra fjerntolking
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5324/ntot.v2i1.6672Keywords:
Interpreting Act, responsible interpreting, remote interpreting, professional integrityAbstract
The article draws on interpreting students’ reflections over their experiences in complying with the Interpreting Act’s mandate for responsible interpreting in institutional settings, particularly during remote interpreting—i.e., interpretation via telephone or video (UDI, 1998; NOU, 2014:8). The students, who already practice as interpreters, critically examine their experiences from the Norwegian public sector in online chat groups as part of learning activities in the online course Remote Interpreting (cf. Skaaden, 2016).
What characterizes the interpreters’ experiences in complying with the Interpreting Act’s regulations about responsible interpretation? The qualitative analysis of the chat logs reveals an emerging sense of professional identity among the students. At the same time, the student interpreters describe working conditions that may impede the “responsible execution of interpreting assignments” in accordance with the Interpreting Act’s regulations and their professional standards. Reported challenges with alerting the professionals in charge of the encounter about inadequate working conditions – as required by the Interpreting Act – are indirectly linked to the interpreter profession’s status.
The thematic analysis underscores the need to contextualize concepts such as responsible interpreting and interpreting quality. As suggested by the quote in the article’s title, the students’ reflections illustrate that quality in interpreting cannot be attributed to the interpreter’s skills and qualifications alone. Consistent with theoretical models of interpreting quality, the interpreters’ accounts demonstrate how their performance is shaped by contextual factors, including working conditions and the parties’ actions and expectations. The findings highlight the need for raised awareness about the complexity of the interpreter’s task among professionals in charge of interpreted institutional encounters.
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