Chapter 7. Videoconference interpreting goes multimodal

Abstract

Recent times have witnessed an unprecedent surge of distant modalities of interpreting (remote, videoconference, etc.). The tendency has been particularly noticeable since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most scholarly research has explored the implications and applications of video technology for interpreting, its potential advantages and shortcomings. By contrast, this paper analyses the multimodal nature of videoconference interpreting (VCI) and its opportunities for research. Inspired by human bimodal perception and multi-sensory integration, our proposal adheres to the subfield of meeting content analysis as a convenient way to help interpreters prepare for a given meeting and provide a better user experience. Our main aim is to come up with a core list of key features and resources that may be used to inform the development of VCI technology and multilingual conference support applications in the future.