A context-based approach to community interpreting. Perceptions and expectations about professional practice in the Spanish context.

Resumen

The paper provides an overview of the evolution of the community interpreter’s profile in the directionof a more inclusive, participatory role were the effectiveness of the message and success of thecommunication rely on the basis of cooperation, empathy and mediation skills. On the basis of anempirical study carried out in medical and legal settings, this paper reflects on the perceptions andexpectations among both service providers and interpreting practitioners about the interpreter’s role,and the competences and the degree of involvement that should be expected as a result. The findingssuggest that a gap seems to exist between real-life practices and standards of behaviour on paper,which are so limiting that they oblige the interpreter to ‘step out’ of the normative role. A correlationalso seems to exist between the interpreter’s attitudes and the level of professionalization ofcommunity interpreting; in this sense, attention will be payed to the impact that current lack ofregularisation in countries such Spain has on the interpreter’s performance. Finally, the authorsingles out clients´ expectations and the nature of the interpreted encounter as key paradigms indetermining the interpreter’s involvement, and concludes that it is not an entirely free choice on thepart of the interpreter, but also and significantly a reaction to the expectations of the clients aboutwhich role is considered appropriate in a given setting.