Domain-Specific English and Language Mediation in Professional and Institutional Settings

Abstract

This book is meant for students of dialogue interpreting and interpreting for the public sector (PSI) /community interpreting (CI). The first chapter (by Garzone) describes discourse practices in institutional settings and in the workplace, whilst the second chapter (by Garzone) looks specifically at the business sector and presents two models of cross-cultural communication (Hofstede and Hampden-Turner). It looks at discourse phenomena such as turn-taking, communication errors, literal translation, briefing and client loyalty and how these impact on the work of the interpreter. The third chapter (by Rudvin) analyses dialogic interpreting in public institutions and provides a description of the various interpreting techniques. It discusses the role of language mediator versus interpreter and looks at key statistics regarding migration in Italy. It discusses ethical issues related to community interpreting such as neutrality and impartiality and looks at the specificities of interpreting for police, for refugees and in the health sector, also the mental health sector. The last chapter (by Rudvin) looks at the nexus between language and power and at cross-cultural issues of communication such as politeness and politeness markers in different settings, especially the courtroom and the hospital. This chapter also provides references for further reading and a list of useful websites. All chapters provide examples and case studies.