Struggling for professional identity
A narrative inquiry of Korean freelance male interpreters
Despite growing academic interest in the personal experiences of translators and interpreters with a focus on status,
identity, role and ethics, and job satisfaction, there have been few academic attempts to inquire into the experiences of respective genders
in the profession. Also, outside of T&I studies, most occupational research has examined the experience of women in male-dominated
fields. Thus, the current study aims to shed light on the professional experiences and challenges of male interpreters working in a
predominantly female profession in Korea. Taking a qualitative approach to interpret the male experience from a temporal, spatial, and
cultural context, a narrative inquiry was conducted with male conference interpreters currently working in Korea to closely examine the
struggles they experience in the process of their professional identity formation. Data analysis reveals that male interpreters face extreme
gender bias and stereotypes at work, and struggle with issues such as emotional remoteness with colleagues, job insecurity, and crisis of
identity stemming from an unstable social status for male interpreters.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Theoretical underpinnings
- 2.1Professional identity and the interpreting profession
- 2.2Men working in female-dominated occupations
- 2.3Narrative inquiry
- 3.Research procedure
- 3.1Research design and participants
- 3.2Data collection and analysis
- 4.‘Telling’: Two men’s stories
- 4.1Brian’s story
- 4.1.1Hard landing
- 4.1.2Unlevel playing field
- 4.1.3Uncertainties and inner conflict
- 4.2Edward’s story
- 4.2.1A lone island
- 4.2.2Standing on his own two feet
- 4.2.3Who am I?
- 5.‘Re-Telling’ and conclusion
-
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Cited by
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