Interpreters perspective on intercultural communication

Abstract

Although Translation/Interpreting Studies and Intercultural Communication Studies appear to be closely related fields of studies, both seem to have ignored their potential connectedness. In Interpreting Studies, scholars and practitioners have begun to recognize that interpreters have intercultural communication functions and do not simply automatically convey messages across parties. In Intercultural Communication Studies, scholars have neglected examining intercultural communication in the interpreting context. This study explores professional Azerbaijani interpreters' lived experiences of intercultural challenges they face in the interpreting setting to help better understand both the communication processes involved in interpreting, and interpreting as a scene for intercultural communication. Conversational interviews were employed to access lived human experiences of the researcher and the co-researchers, and thematic analysis of the capta revealed four broad themes regarding intercultural challenges encountered by interpreters during interpreting: 'the interpreter is not a robot, ' 'the interpreter has her/his sex, religion, and culture, ' 'the interpreter is between two cultures, ' and 'it depends.' These themes are intertwined and point to the conclusion that cultural difference should not be ignored in the interpreting setting.