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Ethics and Policy Development in Public Service Interpreting and Translation

The Journal of Specialised Translation, 2018
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343 Valero-Garcés, Carmen & Tipton, Rebecca (eds) (2017). Ideology, Ethics and Policy Development in Public Service Interpreting and Translation. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp. 230, hardback, €34.95. ISBN: 978-1-78309-752-4. his volume, edited by Carmen Valero-Garcés (Universidad de Alcalá, Spain) and Rebecca Tipton (University of Manchester, United Kingdom), is part of the Translation, Interpreting and Social Justice in a Globalised World Series. The aim of this edition is to provide an approach to bridging professionals and policymakers on the impact that research has had in public service interpreting and translation (PSIT). This book is divided into two parts: the first one (Re-)defining Concepts and Policycontains five chapters that explore the conceptualisation of ethical, ideological and professional implications in policy making in PSIT. The second part Experiences From the Field emphasises empirical and case studies on how these notions are depicted in an array of scenarios. In chapter 1, Cáceres underpins the role of interpreters in historical conflicts. From the Reconquista to the Early Modern period, the author discusses that loyalty and loyal are recurring words in the interpreters’ personal files, ambassadors’ reports and clerks’ correspondence material” (5) and how that notion has contributed to shape ideologies around the figure of the interpreter. Through a series of examples questioning how professionals make decisions in war crisis, she comes to the conclusion that there is an evident preference for native interpretersbecause they are “less sensitive to ethical dilemmas” (18). In a similar line, Martín Ruano, in chapter 2, focuses on the importance of recognition for PSIT. She elaborates on the misconception of how translators in these contexts are thought to ‘just translate’ (Hale 2005, 2015), and the need for visibility of their duties. In her view, “recognition theories help to approach norms not merely in a restrictive manner, but rather as a starting point for agency” (35). In this volume, particular focus is placed on how translation interacts with politics. In chapter 3, Tipton highlights how PSIT has impacted third sector organisations from a discursive perspective. The author pays attention to refugee community organisations (RCOS) and migrant and refugee community organisations (MRCOs), as they bring a new perspective to understanding ‘intrinsic translation’ (48). She conducted a number of interviews in four different entities, which provide rich insight into interactions with service users, with the aim of encouraging further longitudinal studies in this field. Resorting to political ideology, Gentile (chapter 4) describes how this is embedded in linguistic services, and how interpreters’ ethics should pay attention T
344 to the link between public service interpreting (PSI) and social justice (79). On the other hand, Brander (chapter 5) highlights the lack of deontological principles in the training of translators and interpreters. She delves into concepts such as moral development, dilemmas and their implications in what she calls ‘absent curriculum’ for future professionals. As mentioned above, the second part of the book showcases the experience of five PSIT scenarios. From prison communication to courtrooms or correctional facilities; they all bring together various perspectives on ethical and ideological issues related to the main theme of this volume. Valero-Garcés discusses the communication system in Spanish prisons, which is administered by different professions under the same institutional umbrella. The results of a pilot project carried out at the University of Alcalá (Spain) hold that there is a mismatch between the understanding of communication by prison staff and interpreters, respectively; but it is agreed that there should be a greater familiarity with professional codes of ethics, continuing education and collaboration among professionals to guarantee their success (128). Equally interesting is chapter 7, which draws upon a project by Jérôme Devaux dealing with the interface between videoconference interpreting (VCI) and court interpreting (CI). He examines court interpreters’ perceptions of ethics and the extent to which the interviewees encountered conflicts with technology, pointing out a need to equip interpreters properly in legal settings. In a similar study, Salaets and Balogh discuss the Co-Minor-IN/QUEST project (Cooperation in Interpreter-Mediated Questioning of Minors), which focuses on pre-trial interviews with children in the context of criminal cases. The authors include their quantitative analysis of cases from Italy and Belgium, which serves as a pivot for further research models and the inter-professional development of training materials. Finally, the two final chapters discuss ethical issues in Poland (Tryuk) and the United States (Bancroft). Chapter 9 focuses on how PSIT serves to relieve tension in asylum hearings in Poland and discusses the relevance of intercultural communication in professional training; chapter 10 offers a study of how trauma is integrated in professional practice of interpreters. It analyses interviews with social workers and lawyers, covering issues like accuracy, assessment, impartiality and cultural mediation. In conclusion, this timely volume sheds light on the relevance of translation in mediation and its implications in policy making in public services. Not only does it offer an overview of the theoretical backgrounds which help draft further research; but it effectively shows what are the main benefits from achieving societal impacts through translation and interpreting practices.
Valero-Garcés, Carmen & Tipton, Rebecca (eds) (2017). Ideology, Ethics and Policy Development in Public Service Interpreting and Translation. Bristol: Multilingual Matters, pp. 230, hardback, €34.95. ISBN: 978-1-78309-752-4. his volume, edited by Carmen Valero-Garcés (Universidad de Alcalá, Spain) and Rebecca Tipton (University of Manchester, United Kingdom), is part of the Translation, Interpreting and Social Justice in a Globalised World Series. The aim of this edition is to provide an approach to bridging professionals and policymakers on the impact that research has had in public service interpreting and translation (PSIT). T This book is divided into two parts: the first one (Re-)defining Concepts and Policy contains five chapters that explore the conceptualisation of ethical, ideological and professional implications in policy making in PSIT. The second part Experiences From the Field emphasises empirical and case studies on how these notions are depicted in an array of scenarios. In chapter 1, Cáceres underpins the role of interpreters in historical conflicts. From the Reconquista to the Early Modern period, the author discusses that “loyalty and loyal are recurring words in the interpreters’ personal files, ambassadors’ reports and clerks’ correspondence material” (5) and how that notion has contributed to shape ideologies around the figure of the interpreter. Through a series of examples questioning how professionals make decisions in war crisis, she comes to the conclusion that there is an evident preference for “native interpreters” because they are “less sensitive to ethical dilemmas” (18). In a similar line, Martín Ruano, in chapter 2, focuses on the importance of recognition for PSIT. She elaborates on the misconception of how translators in these contexts are thought to ‘just translate’ (Hale 2005, 2015), and the need for visibility of their duties. In her view, “recognition theories help to approach norms not merely in a restrictive manner, but rather as a starting point for agency” (35). In this volume, particular focus is placed on how translation interacts with politics. In chapter 3, Tipton highlights how PSIT has impacted third sector organisations from a discursive perspective. The author pays attention to refugee community organisations (RCOS) and migrant and refugee community organisations (MRCOs), as they bring a new perspective to understanding ‘intrinsic translation’ (48). She conducted a number of interviews in four different entities, which provide rich insight into interactions with service users, with the aim of encouraging further longitudinal studies in this field. Resorting to political ideology, Gentile (chapter 4) describes how this is embedded in linguistic services, and how interpreters’ ethics should pay attention 343 to the link between public service interpreting (PSI) and social justice (79). On the other hand, Brander (chapter 5) highlights the lack of deontological principles in the training of translators and interpreters. She delves into concepts such as moral development, dilemmas and their implications in what she calls ‘absent curriculum’ for future professionals. As mentioned above, the second part of the book showcases the experience of five PSIT scenarios. From prison communication to courtrooms or correctional facilities; they all bring together various perspectives on ethical and ideological issues related to the main theme of this volume. Valero-Garcés discusses the communication system in Spanish prisons, which is administered by different professions under the same institutional umbrella. The results of a pilot project carried out at the University of Alcalá (Spain) hold that there is a mismatch between the understanding of communication by prison staff and interpreters, respectively; but it is agreed that there should be a greater familiarity with professional codes of ethics, continuing education and collaboration among professionals to guarantee their success (128). Equally interesting is chapter 7, which draws upon a project by Jérôme Devaux dealing with the interface between videoconference interpreting (VCI) and court interpreting (CI). He examines court interpreters’ perceptions of ethics and the extent to which the interviewees encountered conflicts with technology, pointing out a need to equip interpreters properly in legal settings. In a similar study, Salaets and Balogh discuss the Co-Minor-IN/QUEST project (Cooperation in Interpreter-Mediated Questioning of Minors), which focuses on pre-trial interviews with children in the context of criminal cases. The authors include their quantitative analysis of cases from Italy and Belgium, which serves as a pivot for further research models and the inter-professional development of training materials. Finally, the two final chapters discuss ethical issues in Poland (Tryuk) and the United States (Bancroft). Chapter 9 focuses on how PSIT serves to relieve tension in asylum hearings in Poland and discusses the relevance of intercultural communication in professional training; chapter 10 offers a study of how trauma is integrated in professional practice of interpreters. It analyses interviews with social workers and lawyers, covering issues like accuracy, assessment, impartiality and cultural mediation. In conclusion, this timely volume sheds light on the relevance of translation in mediation and its implications in policy making in public services. Not only does it offer an overview of the theoretical backgrounds which help draft further research; but it effectively shows what are the main benefits from achieving societal impacts through translation and interpreting practices. 344 References   Hale, Sandra (2005). “The interpreter’s identity crisis.” Juliane House, Rosario Martín Ruano and Nicole Baumgarten (eds). Translation and the construction of identity. Seoul: IATIS, 14-29. Hale, Sandra (2015). “Approaching the bench: Teaching magistrates and judges how to work effectively with interpreters.” MonTI, special issue on Legal Interpreting at a Turning Point 7, 163-180. Javier Moreno-Rivero University of California, Los Angeles E-mail: j.moreno@ucla.edu 345