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Article published In:
Intelligences pour la traduction. IA et interculturel : actions et interactions.
Edited by Ludovica Maggi and Sarah Bordes
[FORUM 20:2] 2022
► pp. 290–308

Communicating in multilingual churches

The interpreter’s role as a case study

| Universidad de Alcalá – FITISPos UAH

This paper aims to expand the boundaries of public service interpreting and translation (PSIT) and map the still widely unexplored territory of translating and interpreting in ecclesiastical settings. The starting point is the consideration that 21st-century societies are shaped by cross-cultural contact and interaction because of migration flows. Consequently, parishes are culturally and linguistically diverse. In such a context, translation and interpreting services are of utmost importance to ensure the integration of parishioners and preachers in the religious community. I intend to explore some of the realities, needs, and challenges posed by interpreting in ecclesiastical settings in Spain. A mainly qualitative methodology based on discourse analysis is used. Data come from empirical studies on related topics, an open questionnaire, and observation. The study touches on issues relating to the specific communication needs and audience expectations in religious settings, the context dependency of ecclesiastical translation and interpreting, and the interpreter’s role(s) of the interpreter in the religious environment.

Keywords: public service interpreting and translation, PSIT, ecclesiastical settings, religious interpreting, interpreter
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction. An initial approach to religious interpreting
  • 2.A brief reflection on religious interpreting in Spain
  • 3.The project. Research on Interpreting in Religious Contexts (IRC) in Spain. A case study
    • 3.1Contextualization of the study
    • 3.2Main objectives
    • 3.3Methodology and corpus
    • 3.4Analysis of the results
      • 3.4.1Situational context and languages services provision
      • 3.4.2Interpreter’s profile and required competences (who)
      • 3.4.3Text types and kind of intervention
      • 3.4.4Performance and interpreter’s role
      • 3.4.5Quality control and training
  • 4.Discussion
  • 5.Final comments and main conclusions
  • References
Published online: 12 January 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.00021.val
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