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Part of
Translating Asymmetry – Rewriting Power
Edited by Ovidi Carbonell i Cortés and Esther Monzó-Nebot
[Benjamins Translation Library 157] 2021
► pp. 55–76

Chapter 3
Helpers, professional authority, and pathologized bodies

Ableism in interpretation and translation

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ORCID logo | Gallaudet University

In this paper, we examine how ableism, undergirded by interlocking systems of oppression mediated by our social locations, exists in this profession with interpreters and translators acting as professional authorities-cum-helpers for pathologized bodyminds. The intersections of the nature of interpretation, professional authority, and inherent powers of influence granted to nondisabled people result in violence masked by a veneer of benevolence (Kent 2007; Mole 2018; Robinson, Sheneman, and Henner 2020). In this chapter, we highlight how Chapman and Withers’ (2019) concept of toxic benevolence in social work can be applied to interpretation. We explore and suggest cripping as a means of mediating power relations in interpretation work through a critical disability framework.

Keywords: disability justice, interpretation, professionalization, toxic benevolence, ableism, cripping
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Dis/ability as a framework
  • 3.The imbalance of power within helping professions
  • 4.The interpretation profession
  • 5.Professionalism in interpreting as power over dis/abled
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 16 August 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.157.03she
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