In what sense do interpreters assist understanding?
What is it about?
It's usually taken for granted that interpreters help people to understand users of other languages. Researchers rarely ask how participants come to accept that 'understanding' is occurring, what form it takes, or what its consequences are. We use an established research tool to dig deeper. In particular, we argue that seeing interpreting through this new lens helps to deepen our thinking about interpreters' 'participation' and the collaborative nature of meaning-making in interpreted exchanges.
Why is it important?
Two of the most-cited researchers in dialogue interpreting studies are Cynthia Roy and Cecilia Wadensjö - the key insights from their doctorates have been recognized as cutting edge work since 1989 and 1992 respectively. 25 years on, we think there's more to be said, and propose a further development with significant implications for interpreting theory.