Remote interpreting has become more prevalent, notably since the Covid pandemic restrictions. Previous studies of remote interpreting have tended to focus on working conditions for interpreters, notably poor auditive input, and the risk of deteriorating quality of output, both significant concerns. This article takes a different approach, considering the impact of full remote interpreting (interpreters working in isolation from home or another site) on professional identity and what the author describes as “professional cohesion” (compliance with a shared set of norms and adherence to shared beliefs, creating a feeling of belonging to and identification with the profession).
The underlying hypothesis of the article is that simultaneous interpreting facilitated or even triggered the emergence of conference interpreting as a modern profession. This statement is in one way uncontroversial, as SI undoubtedly led to the increase in interpreted events and in the number of languages interpreted, thus accompanying the development of a multilingual institutional architecture. However, the author’s conviction is that it also created greater proximity with peers, with the formation of interpreter teams and communities. This helped to shape and consolidate informal professional attributes, such as a set of self-beliefs and norms. There is here a tension between the beginning of a trend towards the greater distancing of interpreters from meetings and the greater proximity to other interpreters.
The article considers the ways in which interpreters interact in the booth space and in related spaces of the conference venue, including of course mutual assistance but also mutual face-saving techniques and reinforcement of shared values and beliefs.
The use of remote interpreting involving interpreter home-working (i.e. full remote) marks a sharp break with on-site teamwork, rendering some forms of cooperation difficult. The article considers how this might impact interpreter interaction and professional cohesion. Examples are given of actual meetings, either on-site or in full remote mode. It attempts to identify trends and patterns in interpreter exchanges in each. Preliminary observations indicate a notable reduction in some forms of interaction and cooperation, with a strong focus on practical arrangements such as handover and turn times. This is in sharp contrast with the very rich exchanges of the on-site meetings. The declared intention of the article is to open a new angle on the impact of remote interpreting on interpreters and the profession.
Clare Donovan, professional interpreter, trainer at ESIT and researcher.