Interpreters of the Italian Language in the United States Balance of Power or Power in the Balance?

Abstract

At a time when all countries are influenced-in one way or anotherby globalization, one of the constraints felt the world over is the need for people to communicate in a language other than their own. By and large, this issue is often addressed through the use of interpreters that make it possible for interaction with local institutions. This is a phenomenon that cyclically occurs when there is a mass displacement of people crossing boundaries, inevitably leading to skewed power relations in a critical socio-political backdrop. We discuss issues of power in relation to language in this context. The study examines how the language constraint during Italian migration to the United States represented one of the major challenges and how the interpreting profession for the Italian language took root amidst the ever-changing political and social context. This is then contrasted with the interpreting profession today. Professional interpreters with Italian as one of the working languages in the U.S. reported stark differences in questionnaire and interview findings. Differences involve both the regulation of the profession and the amount of work that has diminished over recent years due to an overriding desire to speak the local language, English, rather that opting to speak their native language, Italian.