International knowledge transfer in turkey the consecutive interpreter's role in context

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the complex role of consecutive interpreters in relation to context. Context shapes how interpreters are positioned within an interaction, conceived of as a multi-level framework comprising the textual level, the interactional level, and the institutional level. The empirical focus is interpreting in seminars run by a Turkish public institution and supported by an international organization in the framework of the country’s development towards EU accession. The case study relies on the triangulation of several types of data, different research methods and settings in order to provide a deeper understanding of the interpreter’s role in context. In accordance with the fieldwork strategy, the focus is on naturally occurring data, including user and interpreter surveys, interviews, and video-recordings of interpreted interactions. The findings of the study reveal that there may be a gap between the general role definitions of interpreters and the strategies they are expected to adopt. User expectations vary depending on situational factors and the role perceptions of interpreters do not necessarily match reality. The analysis of the interpreter’s role in two different events exhibiting a varying degree of formality and interactivity but sharing the same institutional context, interpreting mode, and interpreter, demonstrates the influence of context on the interpreter’s role.