The field of community interpreting is characterised by continually changing political, social, institutional and cultural contexts. Over the last few years new approaches to the training of community interpreters have been conceptualised to meet the requirements of these developments and to replace lay interpreters by trained interpreters. The contributions of this volume present both innovative models of didactics and curricula for community interpreters and empirically and methodologically challenging analyses of various fields of community interpreting.

7. Summary and conclusions

The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting provides a comprehensive survey of the field of interpreting for a global readership. The handbook includes an introduction and four sections with thirty one chapters by leading international contributors. The four sections cover: The history and evolution of the field The core areas of interpreting studies from conference interpreting to interpreting in conflict zones and voiceover Current issues and debates from ethics and the role of the interpreter to the impact of globalization A look to the future Suggestions for further reading are provided with every chapter. The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting is an essential reference for researchers and advanced students of interpreting.

Using interaction as a fundamental springboard, Addressing Methodological Challenges in Interpreting Studies Research showcases the major breakthrough in interpreting studies made by investigating community interpreting and the inherent high degree of participant interaction. The book adds a ‘reflexive’ twist, and espouses the notion of the analyst as not separate from the context under study. After looking at dialogue interpreters, cast away from the carpeted walls of sound-proof booths and deprived of the spotlighted lectern-podium position at high level fora, it has become clear that the interpreter’s invisibility, not to mention their neutrality, is uppermost in the minds of both users and providers in terms of expectations. Among all the participants in any ‘mediated’ communicative situation, it is the interpreter who is exceedingly visible and potentially most influential in shaping and coordinating the ongoing exchanges. The book proposes that a similar view be applied to researchers engaged in interpreting research, especially in empirical investigations. Different forms of ‘interaction’ between researchers and the data in their studies are inevitable. This applies to every stage of their work, ranging from all the pre-analysis activities to the analysis itself, and the post-analysis stage, in which results are disseminated in the research community and, possibly, the target population. This volume will stand to benefit all those who work with researching language issues, not only because of the various approaches covered in the volume, but also because of the ways in which they are reframed as a result of shifting contextual constraints.

This is the first book to deliver a comprehensive guide to research methods in all types of interpreting. It brings together the expertise of two world-recognized scholars in spoken and signed language interpreting to cover the full scope of the discipline. It features questions, prompts and exercises throughout to highlight key concepts, provoke thought and encourage reader interaction. It deals fully with research in both conference and community interpreting, offering a variety of perspectives on both. Core areas such as reading and analyzing research literature, practical issues in research and producing research reports are all covered. This book is an indispensable tool for students and researchers of Interpreting as well as professionals and interpreter trainers.

Public Service Interpreting is a hugely complex activity, encompassing human, ethical, commercial and political dimensions. It is unseen and unrecognized by most of the population but vital to those who depend on it for their security or wellbeing. The quality of PSI provision is seen by the authors as a clear indicator of how a society views and responds to the realities of a multi-ethnic and multilingual global community. Following recent significant changes in the power balance between them this book explores the increasing tensions among multiple stakeholders who together deliver such a fundamental service in a modern open society. Chapters focus on how all stakeholders need to appreciate the wider context of political and economic realities whilst collaborating more responsibly to deliver the conditions, training and support needed for expert linguists to be attracted to and retained in this vital profession.

Teaching Dialogue Interpreting is one of the very few book-length contributions that cross the research-to-training boundary in dialogue interpreting. The volume is innovative in at least three ways. First, it brings together experts working in areas as diverse as business interpreting, court interpreting, medical interpreting, and interpreting for the media, who represent a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches. Second, it addresses instructors and course designers in higher education, but may also be used for refresher courses and/or retraining of in-service interpreters and bilingual staff. Third, and most important, it provides a set of resources, which, while research driven, are also readily usable in the classroom – either together or separately – depending on specific training needs and/or research interests. The collection thus makes a significant contribution in curriculum design for interpreter education.