What is it about?
Professional interpreters are taught how to translate one language into another. However, due to increased migration both in Europe and globally more and more people express themselves in multiple languages, mixing them in personal and creative ways. This paper asks how can we better train interpreters to meet these new challenges.
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Why is it important?
The phenomenon of 'translanguaging' (blending multiple languages) is set to become the norm in future societies, affecting everyday speech. If interpreters encounter this in their work there is a risk of a breakdown in communication. Therefore, interpreters need to develop multiple language skills as well as cognitive strategies to anticipate and resolve such issues. This paper suggests ways of changing interpreter training curriculum to understand the emergence of translanguaging practices, to outline its benefits for society, and how to improve the skills interpreters will need both now and in the future.
Perspectives
I am someone who blends languages, being brought up in an English-speaking culture, living in Italy for over 20 years and now Spain. I 'translanguage' every day with my Spanish partner and my Italian and English friends. But I am in no way unique, translanguaging is pervasive. In our social and working lives most of us can see it everywhere: the friend or partner who has a different mother tongue and mixes it with our own in different ways; the work colleague who does the same; even children who mix with many different nationalities in the classroom and the playground. Globalisation, international travel and migration means that speaking different languages (partially or wholly) is part of our modern world and set to become increasingly so. Interpreters will always play an important role in facilitating communication but they also need to be trained to cope with the challenges translanguaging will bring to their profession. I hope this paper serves as a springboard for changes to interpreter curriculum as well as providing a stimulating and informative read for anyone interested in the subject.
Dr. Alan James Runcieman
The University of Vic - The Central University of Catalonia
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Proposal for a ‘translanguaging space’ in interpreting studies, Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts, July 2021, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/ttmc.00070.run.
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