Introducing interpreting studies

Abstract

The third edition of the volume Introducing Interpreting Studies was published in 2022 by Routledge. The author, professor of Interpreting Studies at the Centre for Translation Studies at the University of Vienna, is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on Interpreting Studies (IS), besides being an experienced conference and media interpreter himself.The first edition of the same book was published by Routledge in 2003. It was a pioneering effort to provide a textbook for trainee interpreters, trainers and researchers engaged in and/or interested in IS. It was an immediate success; it received high praise and was hailed as a milestone in the development of a new academic field:[…] Introducing Interpreting Studies is intended to serve as "a map of the interpreting studies landscape" (p. 205), providing orientation for newcomers to academic research related to interpreting. It succeeds admirably in its aim. This comprehensive, structured, and accessible primer will quickly become the standard textbook around which introductory courses are organised. (Dawrant, 2004, p. 1.) Dawrant's prediction soon turned out to be right: this introductory text soon became a widely used textbook in interpreter training and beyond, in doctoral studies. Evidently, trainee interpreters, besides practising the basic skills of interpreting, must learn something about the research background of the profession (that is, IS), and novice researchers need a reference book that provides comprehensive treatment of an emergent academic field characterized by diversity. Pöchhacker's book has eminently suited this purpose, and, while presenting diversity, it also contributes to creating unity. Indicative of the wide use of the book is the fact that the citation index of Introducing Interpreting Studies on 22 July 2023, stands at 2,698 on Google Scholar. This means that the book has become a solid reference book in the field of Interpreting Studies (IS) during the past two decades. As Dawrant writes, The author's vision of "unity in diversity" is admirably executed, bringing new cohesion to this nascent field and staking a convincing claim for Interpreting Studies as an academic discipline in its own right. (Dawrant, 2004, p. 2.) Following the 2016 second edition, Introducing Interpreting Studies has now been updated for the second time. In the 2016 edition, although some topics received more extensive