“A beautiful woman sitting in the dark”
Three narratives of interpreter training at the University of Nairobi
This ethnographic study of the Master’s in Conference Interpreting at the University of Nairobi aims to link
interpreter training to the linguistic make-up of Kenyan society and the constraints of public higher education in Africa. It is
the first comprehensive study of interpreter training in Kenya, and shows the limits of replicating pedagogical approaches that
have been tried and tested in Europe in a different environment. Based on the findings, I recommend a widening of the scope of
training to include conference, court and community interpreting. It is argued that this would improve the sustainability and
relevance of interpreter training in Africa.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Case description
- 3.Analytical framework
- 3.1Pedagogical assumptions
- 3.2Institutional environment
- 3.3Linguistic environment and interpreting market
- 4.Method
- 4.1Ethnographic approach
- 4.2Research participants
- 4.3Data collection and analysis
- 5.Results
- 5.1Managers
- 5.2Trainers
- 5.3Students
- 6.Discussion
- 7.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
References
References
Agar, M.
(
2011)
Making sense of one other for another: Ethnography as translation.
Language & Communication 311, 38–47.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
AIIC
(
2016)
AIIC conference interpreters worldwide.
[URL] (accessed 4 April 2017).
Anderson, J. R.
(
2010)
Cognitive psychology and its implications. Seventh edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Angelelli, C. V.
(
2015)
Ethnographic methods. In
F. Pöchhacker (Ed.),
Routledge encyclopedia of interpreting studies. London/New York: Routledge, 148–150.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Aympam, S., Chelpi-den Hamer, M. & Bouju, J.
(
2014)
Défis éthiques et risques pratiques du terrain en situation de développement ou d’urgence humanitaire.
Anthropologie & Développement 40–411, 21–41.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Babbie, E.
(
2001)
The practice of social research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Benson, B. K.
(
1997)
Coming to terms: Scaffolding.
The English Journal 86 (7), 126–127.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bernard, H. R.
(
1994)
Research methods in anthropology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Bierschenk, T., Chauveau, J.-P. & Olivier de Sardan, J.-P.
(Eds.) (
2000)
Courtiers en développement. Paris: Karthala and APAD.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Blommaert, J.
(
2009)
Language, asylum, and the national order.
Current Anthropology 50 (4), 415–441.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Chandiwana, S. & Ornbjerg, N.
(
2003)
Review of North-South and South-South cooperation and conditions necessary to sustain research capability in developing countries.
Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition 21 (3), 288–297.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Clifford, J. & Marcus, G. E.
(Eds.) (
1986)
Writing culture: The poetics and politics of ethnography. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Corbin, J. M. & Strauss, A. L.
(
2008)
Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Delgado Luchner, C.
(
2015)
Setting up a Master’s programme in conference interpreting at the University of Nairobi: An interdisciplinary case study of a development project involving universities and international organisations. PhD thesis, Faculté de traduction et d’interprétation, University of Geneva.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Dey, I.
(
1993)
Qualitative data analysis: A user-friendly guide for social scientists. New York: Routledge.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Djité, P. G.
(
2008)
The sociolinguistics of development in Africa. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Droz, Y. & Mayor, A.
(
2009)
Partenariats scientifiques avec l’Afrique : Réflexions critiques de Suisse et d’ailleurs. Paris: Karthala.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ericsson, K. A.
(
2006)
The influence of experience and deliberate practice on the development of superior expert performance. In
K. A. Ericsson,
N. Charness,
P. Feltovich &
R. Hoffman (Eds.),
The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 685–706.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T. & Tesch-Römer, C.
(
1993)
The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance.
Psychological Review 100 (3), 363–406.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Guba, E. G.
(
1981)
Criteria for assessing the trustworthiness of naturalistic inquiries.
Educational Communication and Technology Journal 29 (2), 75–91.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Inghilleri, M.
(
2005)
Mediating zones of uncertainty.
The Translator 11 (1), 69–85.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kiguru, G.
(
2009)
Court interpreting in Kenya ‒ the ideal and the practice.
The Newsletter of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) 18 (1), no pagination.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Kiguru, G.
(
2010)
At the mercy of others’ voices: An illustration of frequent interpreter language errors in Kenyan courtrooms.
The University of Nairobi Journal of Language and Linguistics 11, 1–18.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
KNBS
(
2010)
Statistical abstract. Technical report, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
KNBS
(
2011)
Statistical abstract. Technical report, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Lonsdale, J.
(
2009)
Henry Muoria, public moralist. In
W. Muoria-Sal (Ed.),
Writing for Kenya: The life and works of Henry Muoria. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 3–57.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Marais, K.
(
2013)
Exploring a conceptual space for studying translation and development.
Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 31 (4), 403–414.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Marais, K.
(
2014)
Translation theory and development studies: A complexity theory approach. London: Routledge.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Matu, P. M., Odhiambo, K., Adans, Y. & Ongarora, D.
(
2012)
The court interpreters’ role perception: The case of English-Dholuo interpreters in Subordinate Courts in Nyanza Province, Kenya.
Greener Journal of Social Sciences 2 (4), 121–126.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mazrui, A. M.
(
2004)
English in Africa: After the Cold War. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mbithi, E. K.
(
2014)
Multilingualism, language policy and creative writing in Kenya.
Multilingual Education 4 (19), 1–9.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Moeketsi, R. & Wallmach, K.
(
2005)
From sphaza to makoya!: A BA degree for court interpreters in South Africa.
Forensic Linguistics: The International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law 12 (1), 77–108.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Moser-Mercer, B.
(
2008)
Skill acquisition in interpreting: A human performance perspective.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 2 (1), 1–28.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Muylle, N.
(
2008)
Languages matter: Training of translators, conference interpreters, public service interpreters In Africa. Technical report, United Nations Office at Nairobi.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Mwiria, K., Ng’ethe, N., Ngome, C., Ouma-Odero, D., Wawire, V. & Wesonga, D.
(
2007)
Public & private universities in Kenya: New challenges, issues & achievements. Oxford: Jamey Currey and Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ndongo-Keller, J.
(
2015)
Vicarious trauma and stress management. In
H. Mikkelson &
R. Jourdenais (Eds.),
Routledge handbook of interpreting. London/New York: Routledge, 337–351.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ngome, C.
(
2003)
Kenya. In
D. Teferra &
P. G. Altbach (Eds.),
African higher education: An international reference handbook. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 359–371.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Odhiambo, K., Kavulani, C. K. & Matu, P. M.
(
2013)
Court interpreters view of language use in Subordinate Courts in Nyanza Province, Kenya.
Theory and Practice in Language Studies 3 (6), 910–918.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Ogechi, N. O.
(
2003)
On language rights in Kenya.
Nordic Journal of African Studies 12 (3), 277–295.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Otieno, J. J., Kiamba, C. & Some, D. K.
(
2008)
Kenya. In
D. Teferra &
J. Knight (Eds.),
Higher education in Africa: The international dimension. Chestnut Hill, MA: African Books Collective, 238–261.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Peräkylä, A.
(
2005)
Analysing talk and text. In
N. K. Denzin &
Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.),
Handbook of qualitative research. Third edition. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 869–886.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Rottenburg, R.
(
2009)
Far-fetched facts: A parable of development aid. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Shenton, A. K.
(
2004)
Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects.
Education for Information 221, 63–75.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Teferra, D. & Altbach, P.
(
2003)
Trends and perspectives in African higher education. In
D. Teferra &
P. G. Altbach (Eds.),
African higher education: An international reference handbook. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 3–14.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Timarová, S. & Ungoed-Thomas, H.
(
2008)
Admission testing for interpreting courses.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer 2 (1), 29–46.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
UNON
(
2009)
Report of the first pan-African conference on the training of translators, conference interpreters and public service interpreters in Africa. United Nations Office at Nairobi: Conference Services.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
University of Nairobi
(
2016)
University of Nairobi factfile.
[URL] (accessed 4 April 2017).
Van Maanen, J.
(
1988)
Tales of the field: On writing ethnography. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wallmach, K.
(
2002) “
Seizing the surge of language by its soft, bare skull”: Simultaneous interpreting, the Truth Commission and Country of my skull
.
Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa 14 (2), 64–82.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wallmach, K.
(
2015)
Africa. In
F. Pöchhacker (Ed.),
Routledge encyclopedia of interpreting studies. London/New York: Routledge, 8–11.
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Wolf, M.
(
2011)
Mapping the field: Sociological perspectives on translation.
International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2071, 1–28.
![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
![Google Scholar](https://benjamins.com/logos/google-scholar.svg)
Cited by
Cited by 3 other publications
Delgado Luchner, Carmen & Leïla Kherbiche
Haidar, Cherine & Lucía Ruiz Rosendo
2023.
The impressionist tale as a way to negotiate the challenges of ethnography in field missions for international organisations.
The Translator 29:2
► pp. 231 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Marais, Kobus & Carmen Delgado Luchner
2018.
Motivating the translation-development nexus: exploring cases from the African Continent.
The Translator 24:4
► pp. 380 ff.
![DOI logo](//benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 1 june 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.