The hidden benefits of Interpreting Theory and Research
Often confined to the academic and research world, theory can bring invaluable benefits to practitioners.
Translation and, even more so, interpreting have only recently become established academic subjects, taught within separate and dedicated departments. If translation theory can now boast quite a developed and varied breadth of studies, interpreting studies on the other hand are still very much recent: in just over 70 years of research much has been studied, but much more has still to be investigated.
Given that research in this field is relatively new, many interpreters did not even have to open a theory book to become one (except maybe for Jean Herbet’s Manuel de l’interprète). As for today, many interpreters still live their professional and personal lives tucked away from recent developments in research or new advancements in the profession, to the extent that some even claim they are not interested in it at all. This is fair enough, as history shows that you don’t need to produce a 3000 words essay on the impact of rate delivery on the interpreter’s error rate to do a great job once you’re actually in a booth yourself.
On the other hand, I would argue that a professional interpreter can gain invaluable benefits from an in-depth knowledge of the theoretical aspects.
Firstly, it grounds you. The early days of the profession seem so far gone, even if it all happened less than a century ago, and much has changed and developed so quickly. Basic reading will give you a historical insight into the origins of interpreting, to progress then onto the different schools of thought and their views on the profession. Exploring how it all began, who were the principal figures and how the debate unfolded will bring you back in time and make you feel part of a big community, with its own history, protagonists and evolution.
Secondly, it will satisfy your curiosity and boost your confidence. What goes on in an interpreter’s mind during a performance is undeniably fascinating and still partly a mystery. Theory can actually satisfy your curiosity about it and shed light on the interpretation process with a plethora of different, and at times, conflicting models. This in turn will give you a structured framework around which to analyse your own work and better understand the process that creates it. Moreover, I have always found that the more I know about something, especially a process, the more I feel in control and can monitor the situation, as I am aware of what is happening and will happen next. A little more confidence and calm in the booth never killed anyone, right?
Thirdly, theory has much more in common with practice than you think. Although some works can be described at best as “pure theoretical and abstract speculation”, most research studies have a very pragmatic approach, and have analysed almost every single practical aspect in almost every possible scenario (but rejoice, interpreting is so varied that I doubt we’ll ever run out of subjects to research). Most importantly, these studies have offered explanations and solutions to problems that tainted the profession. Thanks to research and theory, we know how we work best, what working conditions our clients must provide us with, and can ultimately avoid pitfalls.
To each their own. Whatever you’re interested in, you will find an article, and sometimes even an entire book, about it! It is interesting to notice the crossover with other disciplines, most commonly linguistics and psychology, which adds even more value to Interpreting Studies.
On the whole, theory offers benefits on a:
Personal level: it will keep you curious and interested in what you do for a living and (hopefully) love.
Professional level: being up to date with the main research trends and latest finds can be considered a sort of CPD, as you can put what you learnt reading an article into practice and always improve!
Community level: theory and research bring constant innovation and new perspectives to the table, keeping the profession progressing. This enables the profession to be constantly up-to-date and adapting to the changes.
Of course, it’s not a bed of roses. We have to be honest and admit that not all research studies are good, some of them are frankly terrible, plagued with all sorts of problems: relevance, lack of theoretical grounds, lack of validity, faulty methodology, and the likes. These are partly caused by the limited empirical research experience of the field, and many researchers are not “professional” ones, but rather they are interpreters who moved to research out of their personal inclination. Raising awareness on the importance and benefits of theory could help us to improve the quality of research: the more people are involved, the more points of view and perspectives will be brought to the table, the more innovation and advances we will achieve.
What is your take on the subject? Do you see theory as a “necessary evil” of today’s training programmes that has no impact on the reality of the practice, or do you think it is a valuable part of the profession which should be taken more into consideration?
