Dialogue Interpreting as Intercultural Mediation by Baraldi and Gavioli

Claudio Baraldi and Laura Gavioli, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, do an analysis in healthcare multicultural settings.

They describe dialogue interpreting as intercultural mediation, since their recorded and transcribed data in English and Arabic clearly show that interpreters are doing much more than simply interpret.

By selecting information, by asking and providing clarification and by giving support to speakers in the interaction, they appear as active participants in medical encounters featuring a lot of affectivity, too.

Baraldi and Gavioli also reflect on “doctor-centred” versus “patient-centred” medical approaches, showing how interpreters can play a role in promoting one or the other.

They conclude with Wadensjö (1998) that the interpreter has a double role of translator and coordinator, and point out that the two may also overlap.… Continue reading