This study explores how the positioning of dialogue interpreters is shaped in mediated interaction through the combined investigation of two main units of analysis, i.e. assessments and gaze. The data used consists of a small corpus of authentic, video-recorded, mediated interactions in English and Italian. These encounters take place in pedagogical settings; in particular, the specific type of institutional talk analysed is that of mediated parent-teacher meetings, which represents uncharted territory for interpreting studies. An interdisciplinary approach encompassing conversation analysis and studies on non-verbal communication is adopted to explore how interactants orient to both verbal and non-verbal activities (mainly gaze) in the production and monitoring of each other's actions, in the initiation and maintenance of social encounters, and in the co-construction of meaning and participatory framework. As for the verbal dimension, this thesis focuses on assessments, given that evaluative talk characterises the interactions under scrutiny. In particular, some tendencies (namely upgrading and downgrading renditions) in the way interpreters handle utterances embedding evaluative assessments have been identified, explored and linked to issues of identity and epistemic authority. One of the most innovative aspects of this work lies in the exploration of how positioning is realised not only verbally, but also nonverbally, by accounting for non-verbal features in the analysis of verbal interaction. Although non-verbal features have been recognised as part and parcel of human social interaction as well as important vectors of meaning and co-ordination (e.g. Goodwin 1981; Kendon 1990), their sequential positioning in relation to the production of the ongoing flow of talk and their use by interpreters to complement/replace specific verbal features is uncharted territory for interpreting studies. Since the groundbreaking work by Lang (1976, 1978), little research has integrated gaze in the analysis of the interpreter’s (and participants) verbal output (e.g. Wadensjö 2001; Bot 2005). To enable its investigation, gaze is systematically encoded alongside specific conversational cues via the ELAN software, which interfaces audio-video input in a user-friendlyhypertextual transcription. A specific gaze-encoding system has been developed for triadic interaction, building on Rossano’s (2012) one for dyadic interaction. These symbols have been mapped onto the verbal transcript of specific sequences, with a view to investigating how gaze is used as an interactional resource in conjunction with verbal behaviour when producing such sequences. Through analysis of the actions performed via talk and gaze, the thesis investigates how displays of knowledge and epistemic authority are achieved and the impact of the interpreter’s shifting positioning on the unfolding interaction. The micro-analysis of transcripts is placed within a macro-analytical framework to explore whether interpreters work as intercultural mediators when they display an engaged behaviour and act as ratified participants. Findings show that the specific moves isolated, although trying to establish a common ground with the mothers, do not seem to contribute to participants’ empowerment and participation, thus suggesting the need for a more nuanced conceptualisation of intercultural mediation.

Recent research in Interpreting Studies has favoured the argument that, in practice, the interpreter plays an active role, rather than the prescribed role stipulated in professional codes of conduct. Cutting-edge studies utilising multimodal research methods have taken a more comprehensive approach to investigating this argument, searching for evidence of the interpreter’s active involvement not only through textual analysis, but also by examining a range of non-verbal communicative means. Studies using multimodal analysis, such as those by Pasquandrea (2011) and Davitti (2012), have succeeded in offering new insights into the interpreter’s role in interaction. This research presents further investigation into the interpreter’s role through multimodal analysis by focusing on the use of gesture movements, gaze and body orientation in interpreter-mediated communication; it also looks at the impact of the state of knowledge asymmetry on the interpreter’s role. This thesis presents findings from six simulated face-to-face dialogue interpreting cases featuring three different groups of participants and interpreters representing different interpreting settings (e.g. parent-teacher meeting, business meeting, doctor-patient meeting, etc.). By adapting a multimodal approach, findings of this study (a) contribute to our understanding of the active role of the interpreter in Interpreting Studies by exploring new insights from a multimodal approach, and (b) offer new empirical findings from interpreter-mediated interactions to the technical analysis of multimodal communication.

This Master's thesis provides an overview of the work of the contemporary Spanish interpreter, teacher and researcher Ángela Collados Aís. It consists of the author's short biography, the analysis of her research in the evaluation of interpreting quality including an introduction into the issue, and an overview of her published works on interpreter training. Selected chapters include a brief subjective reflection on the text in question. The main motivation for this work was to acquaint the Czech academic community with this figure of Spanish translation studies. This is a theoretical thesis, similar to other student works on important figures on the international translation studies scene.

In sign-language interpreting and conference interpreting it is common for interpreters to work in pairs and well-established norms exist for how that cooperation is carried out. Working in pairs is becoming more common in Swedish courts for spoken language interpreting. Yet how court interpreters collaborate in these situations is not well described. This study, based on 29 hours of audio-files, examines how interpreters working in English and Swedish cooperate during consecutive interpreting when defendants are questioned in Swedish courts. Using Goffman’s terms, the interpreters can be said to be either ratified or bystander at any given point. Five types of cooperation were identified. Two show prompted support - the ratified interpreter either explicitly asks for support or her communicative behaviour makes the bystander conclude that support is needed, two show how the bystander interpreter self-selects to provide support. The fifth covers situations when a bystander interpreter is using non-renditions to explicitly coordinate the interaction. The study can confirm that interpreters are more noticeable in the courtroom than the traditional view of a good interpreter allows. It also shows how a team of two interpreters together can solve communicative problems related to the interpreter’s parallel tasks of translating and coordinating. / Inom teckenspråkstolkning och konferenstolkning är det vanligt att två eller fler tolkar arbetar tillsammans. Det finns väletablerade normer för hur samarbetet ska genomföras. Svenska domstolar anlitar ibland två tolkar till uppdrag i talade språk, men det saknas forskning om hur domstolstolkar samarbetar. Föreliggande studie, baserad på 29 timmar inspelat material undersöker på vilket sätt tolkar med engelska som arbetsspråk samarbetar vid konsekutivtolkning av förhör med tilltalade i svenska domstolar. Med Goffmans terminologi kan tolkarna sägas vara antingen ratified eller bystander vid varje given tidpunkt. Studien identifierar fem typer av samarbeten. Två av dem innefattar efterfrågat stöd där tolken som är ratified antingen ber om stöd eller agerar kommunikativt på ett sätt som får tolken som är bystander att dra slutsatsen att stöd behövs. Två andra kategorier beskriver situationer där tolken som är bystander tar initiativ att erbjuda en rättelse eller ett tillägg. Den femte kategorin täcker situationer där en tolk som är bystander använder sig av icke-återgivningar för att explicit samordna interaktionen. Studien bekräftar att tolkar tar mer plats i en rättssal än vad den gängse uppfattningen är, men också att samarbetande tolkar för det mesta smidigt löser kommunikativa problem relaterade till tolkens två parallella praktiker, att översätta och samordna.

Föreliggande studie undersöker vad språkkompetens och tolkningsriktning har för inverkan på tolkningsstrategier inom tolkning i offentlig sektor. Undersökningen utgår ifrån fyra videoinspelade rollspel som har tolkats av fyra tolkar med olika tolkerfarenhet mellan språken svenska och spanska. Rollspelen utgick från ett manus och rollspelarna uppmanades att utsätta tolkarna för specifika svårigheter på specifika punkter under samtalen. Analysen har utöver observation av videoinspelningar, och transkription av dessa, även utgått från tolkarnas retrospektion, ett språktest och en intervju angående deras språkkompetens. Analysmetoden har dessutom utgått från och replikerat Arumí Ribas och Vargas-Urpis studie (2017) och har genomfört en kvantitativ analys på grundval av Wadensjös sju typer av avvikande återgivningar (1998). Denna analysmetod har visat sig innehålla begränsningar då Wadensjös avvikande återgivningar inte har kunnat användas för att identifiera alla typer av tolkningsstrategier. Studien har dock kunnat fastställa att tolken tillämpar fler tolkningsstrategier till sitt svaga språk än till sitt starka språk men att fortsatt forskning är nödvändig på detta område. / The present study examines what influence language competence and directionality have on interpreting strategies in public service interpreting. It is based on four video recorded roleplays which were interpreted by four interpreters with different interpreting experience between the languages Swedish and Spanish. The roleplays were based on a script and the roleplayers were asked to expose the interpreters to specific difficulties at specific points during the conversation. In addition to the observation of video recordings, and the transcription of these, the analysis has also been based on the interpreters’ retrospections, a language test and an interview regarding their language competence. The analysis method has also been based on and has replicated Arumí Ribas and Vargas-Urpi's study (2017) and has conducted a quantitative analysis on the basis of Wadensjö's seven types of renditions (1998). This analysis method has shown limitations since identification of all types of interpreting strategies could not be done only through Wadensjö's seven types of renditions. The study has determined that the interpreter applies more interpreting strategies to his/her weak language than to his/her strong language but that further research is necessary in this area.