“The whole thing is really managing crisis”: Practice theory insights into interpreters' work experiences of success and failure

Abstract

This article explores the relationship of crisis to the professional practice of interpreting. Applying a practice theory approach, it illustrates interpreters' sense‐making efforts and strategic adjustments to crisis as an intrinsic part of their work. Leveraging upon the concepts of consciousness‐mediated, accompanied adjustment and teleoaffectivity as ends, goals and emotions of life conditions, the article argues that we can identify core meanings around “crisis” in the interpreting practice. These meanings are linked to the calibrations that interpreters carry out to achieve professional aims of success and avoid failure. Drawing upon an ethnographic study of interpreting in the United Kingdom, the article finds that interpreters act to provide effective communication services through the orderly display of professional conduct, in turn steering away from the negative publicness that failing in front of users brings upon them. The study reveals that crisis is embedded into interpreters' professional engagements, with their activities equally organised toward the avoidance of negative ends and emotions and the achievement of successful goals, as a precondition for smooth work and positive reputation. Thus, crisis in this practice is linked to specific understandings and enactments of teleoaffectivity, as interpreters adjust to crisis by acting in purposeful ways (‐teleo) steered by accompanying emotional states (‐affect). This article contributes to social practice literature by attending to these nuances of crisis, seeing them as bound up with the purposeful, motivational, and affective adjustments associated with practising interpreting.

Qualitative research in crisis: A narrative-practice methodology to delve into the discourse and action of the unheard in the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Additionally, practice theory conceives of power as a situated accomplishment flowing from the configuration of practices, suffusing social reality through relations, interactions and actions ( Giustini, 2021 ). This is particularly important for our study, as practice theory unravels power as relational and performative strategies that highlight how dominant narratives, on the one hand, and ways of doing, on the other hand, exist and develop collectively, especially when promoted by large phenomena like institutions, organizations and ideologies ( Foucault, 1982 ; Watson, 2017 ).…”

Evolution of interpreting as a social practice in China during the past four decades. An analysis of Chinese discourse on interpreting through the lens of social practice theory

“…In summary, previous studies on interpreting as a social activity have paid most attention to the roles and identities of the interpreters, while research is still scarce about how the interpreting activity constitutes a social practice and how the social practice of interpreting is shaped by the broader socio-cultural context. Moreover, although a few scholars (e.g., Inghilleri, 2003;Wolf & Fukari, 2007;Giustini, 2019Giustini, , 2021) have pointed out the potential of applying sociological theories to researching interpreting as a socially situated activity, so far, the most productive efforts have been the application of Bourdieusian sociological concepts to interpreting studies, including habitus, capital, and field (Bourdieu, 1977).…”

Psychological risks experienced by interpreters in the domestic violence cases: a systematic review

“…Moser-Mercer et al ( 1998 ) found that interpreters' physiological and psychological responses seemed to be more negative due to task overload in contested settings. Sometimes, due to time constraints and the lack of help from organizations or peers, interpreting presents unpredictable risks, including incoherent information delivery and inappropriate interventions during interpretation (Giustini, 2021 ). Moreover, time pressure, the ill-defined role of interpreters, and the interpreting agencies' culture at times hinder investigators from properly briefing the interpreters regarding the investigation background and concerns (Walsh et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Moser-Mercer et al (1998) found that interpreters' physiological and psychological responses seemed to be more negative due to task overload in contested settings. Sometimes, due to time constraints and the lack of help from organizations or peers, interpreting presents unpredictable risks, including incoherent information delivery and inappropriate interventions during interpretation (Giustini, 2021).…”