A corpus-based study of problems in telephone interpreting

Abstract

In telephone interpreting, the first type of remote interpreting, interpreters interpret in consecutive mode over the phone in community interpreting settings. While it has various advantages, such as fast access to interpreters, flexibility of working hours, and no commute, telephone interpreting literature also depicts various problems such as lack of visual information, overlapping speech, low remuneration, low professionalism, fatigue and stress, which negatively affect interpreters. This study aims to present the challenges and problems of telephone interpreters. Document analysis was used as the data collection tool; a corpus consisting of forty-three entries related to telephone interpreting in Proz.com was created. The corpus was then analyzed with the content analysis method conducted with Maxqda 2020. Six main themes emerged in the analysis: general options regarding telephone interpreting, industry-related aspects, interpreting process, equipment, charging, skills and training. The results show that while there are various advantages of telephone interpreting, disadvantages such as low remuneration, demanding nature and lack of visual information are demotivation factors for interpreters. In addition, charging methods and rates are regulated by global companies, driving the wages lower to attract governmental organizations. The landline norm of companies persists, and the interpreters point out the dangers of using mobile phones. The frequently cited problems during the interpreting process were also mentioned in the corpus. The study concludes with suggestions for special training in telephone interpreting.

Keywords

• telephone interpreting
• remote interpreting
• working conditions
• coordination in interpreting

Kaynakça

1. Amato, A. (2020). Interpreting on the phone: interpreter's participation in healthcare and medical emergency service calls. inTRAlinea Special Issue: Technology in Interpreter Education and Practice.
2. Angelelli, C. V., & Ross, J. M. (2021). Contextual diversity in telephone interpreting: Voices from healthcare interpreters in Scotland. Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series: Themes in Translation Studies, 20, 74–93.
3. Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence (AIIC). (1997). Code d’ulisation des nouvelles technologies en matière d’interprétation de conférence. Konferenzdolmetscher, April-May 1997, pp. 10-11.
4. Cheng, Q. (2015). Examining the challenges for telephone interpreters in New Zealand (M.A thesis). Auckland University of Technology, Auckland.
5. Dayıoğlu, B. (2015). Sağlık Turizmi Daire Başkanlığının Görevleri, Altı Farklı Dilde Çağrı Merkezi Hizmeti. (İçinde) Genç Tercümanlar Çalıştayı, Kasım 2014, Ankara: T.C. Gençlik ve Spor Bakanlığı, 79-84.
6. Eraslan Kıncal.Ş. (2023). Sözlü Çeviri ve Teknoloji. Kriter Yayınevi. Fernández Pérez, M. M. (2015). Designing Role-Play Models for Telephone Interpreting Training. MonTI. Monografías de Traducción e Interpretación., Special Issue 2. doi:10.6035/MonTI.2015.ne2.10
7. Gracia-García, Roberto A. (2002). Telephone interpreting: A review of pros and cons. In Brennan, Scott (Ed.) Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Conference, pp. 195-216. Alexandria, Virginia: American Translators Association.
8. Hale:, Goodman-Delahunty, J., Martschuk, N., & Lim, J. (2022). Does interpreter location make a difference? Interpreting. International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting, 24(2), 221–253. https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00077.hal

9. Hickey, S. (30.03.2023). Nimdzi interpreting index: Ranking of Top Interpreting Service Providers. Nimdzi. Accessed from https://www.nimdzi.com/interpreting-index-top-interpreting-companies/#Remote-interpreting-is-here-to-stay on 17.06.2023.
10. Jiménez-Ivars, A. (2021). Telephone interpreting for asylum seekers in the US: a corpus-based study. The Journal of Specialised Translation, (36), 125–146.
11. Kelly, N. (2008). Telephone interpreting. A comprehensive guide to the profession. Bloomington: Trafford Publishing.
12. Kelly, N., & Pöchhacker, F. (2015). Telephone Interpreting. In F. Pochhacker (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies (pp. 412–415). essay, Routledge.
13. Ko, L. (2006). The need for long-term empirical studies in remote interpreting research: A case study of telephone interpreting. Linguistica Antverpiensia, NS5, 325–338.
14. Lázaro Gutiérrez, R. (2021). Analysis of face-threatening acts against telephone interpreters. The Interpreters' Newsletter, 26, 195–212. https://doi.org/10.13137/2421-714X/33271
15. Lee, R. J. & Newman, J. A. (1997). Pilot test of telephone court interpreting in Atlantic/Cape May-Essex-Hudson: Final report. Trenton, New Jersey: Administrative Office of the Courts, CN-988, April 18, 1997
16. Määttä: K. (2018). Accuracy in telephone interpreting: the case of French as a lingua franca in Finland. The Interpreters' Newsletter, 23, 1–17. Mikkelson, H. (2003). Telephone interpreting: Boon or bane? In L. P. González (Ed.), Speaking in tongues: Language across contexts and users (pp. 251–269). Valencia: Universitat de València.
17. National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (2009). NAJIT position paper: Telephone interpreting in legal settings. Accessed from https://najit.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Telephone-Interpreting-1.pdf on 23.04.2023.
18. Oviatt: & Cohen, P. (1992). Spoken language in interpreted telephone dialogues. Computer Speech and Language, Vol. 6, 1992, pp. 277-302.
19. Ozolins, U. (2011). Telephone interpreting: Understanding practice and identifying research needs. The International Journal for Translation & Interpreting Research, 3(1): 33 – 47.
20. Özkaya, E. (2017). The Medium Turn in Interpreting Studies. Trakya Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, 7(14), 108–119.
21. Phillips, C. (2013). Remote telephone interpretation in medical consultations with refugees: Meta-communication about care, survival and selfhood. Journal of Refugee Studies, 26(4), 505-523.
22. Pielmeier, H. (2020). Interpreting in the Covid-19 Business Climate. Common Sense Advisory.
23. Rosenberg, B. A. (2007). A data-driven analysis of telephone interpreting. In C. Wadensjö, B. E. Dimitrova, & A.-L. Nilsson (Eds.), The critical link 4: Professionalisation of interpreting in the community (pp. 65–76). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
24. Ross, J. (2019). '“Please pass the phone, I’ll ask…”: Communicative Configuration and Telephone Interpreting in Turkey’, InDialog3: Interpreter Practice, Research and Training: The Impact of Context, Antwerp, Belgium, 21 November.
25. Ross, J. (2021). Different Situations, Configurations and Styles: Diversity in Practice among Healthcare Telephone Interpreters in Turkey. [Online research presentation seminar]. Researching Interactional Variation across Settings: Impact on Interpreter’s Role, Centre for Translation & Interpreting Studies in Scotland
26. Shift in orality - shaping the interpreters of the future and of today (2015-2018). SHIFT in Orality - SHaping the Interpreters of the Future and of Today (2015-2018). (n.d.). Accessed from https://site.unibo.it/shiftinorality/en on 04.06.2023.
27. Wadensjö, C. (1998). Interpreting as interaction. Longman.
28. Wadensjö, C. (1999). Telephone interpreting and the synchronization of talk in social interaction. The Translator, 5(2), 247-264.
29. Wang, J. (2017). ‘Telephone interpreting should be used only as a last resort.’ interpreters’ perceptions of the suitability, remuneration and quality of telephone interpreting. Perspectives, 26(1), 100–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676x.2017.1321025
30. Wang, J. (2018). “It keeps me on my toes”: interpreters’ perceptions of challenges in telephone interpreting and their coping strategies. Target. International Journal on Translation Studies 30 (3) : 430–462.
31. Xu, H., Hale:, & Stern, L. (2020). Telephone interpreting in lawyer-client interviews: An observational study. The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research, 12(1), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.12807/ti.112201.2020.a02
32. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2018). Sosyal Bilimlerde Nitel Araştırma Yöntemleri. Seçkin Yayıncılık.