Developing Professional Expertise in Translation and Interpreting: A Pragmatic Approach to Occupational Challenges

Developing Professional Expertise in Translation and Interpreting covers what professional expertise means for translators and interpreters in the fast-changing, globalised world and how it can be achieved in practice. The book offers tactics and solutions for everyday issues, such as competence, etiquette, cultural differences, the translator’s role in communication, dealing with mistakes and using new technologies, using real-life examples of the occupational challenges practitioners face in their line of work. These range from translating Donald Trump’s controversial political tweets or interpreting during Oscar Pistorius’ high-profile court trial. This user-friendly guide helps students in translator training, or professionals starting out as translators and interpreters, establish good working standards and offers pragmatic solutions to common professional dilemmas for more experienced translators and interpreters. This is also an ideal resource for professors creating curricula in the area of ethics and etiquette within translation and interpreting, offering an interdisciplinary approach and an overview of the literature regarding all key topics.

Table of Contents:
Table of contents: Introduction 1. The need to define and promote the concept of professional expertise in translation and interpreting 2. Misunderstandings surrounding professional competencies in translation and interpreting 3. The role of professional translators and interpreters in communication 4. Cultural sensitivity as a professional requirement 5. Purpose of the text as a professional guideline 6. Service provider’s professional image 6.1 E-mail contacts 6.2 Phone contacts 6.3 Face-to-face communication 6.4 Rules of interaction 7. Tendency to blame the translator as a risk to professional behaviour 7.1 Context limitations 7.2 Participants of the communication 7.3 Linguistic problems 7.4 Sense of the message 7.5 The channel’s limitations 8. Accuracy as a part of professional expertise 9. New technologies and their influence on the profession Final reflections on developing and promoting professional expertise

About the Author :
Katarzyna Kruk-Junger teaches translation and interpreting at the University of Silesia, Poland. Her interest in professional expertise in translation and interpreting was sparked by the experience gained working as a community interpreter in Ireland. After obtaining a PhD, she became a lecturer, adapting existing translation and interpreting curricula to the realities of the translation and interpreting markets.