Runcieman Alan James. The Identity of the Professional Interpreter

How Professional Identities are Constructed in the Classroom. — Singapore: Springer, 2018. — xvi + 184 p. — ISBN: 978-981-10-7823-1This monograph examines how higher education (HE) institutions construct ‘professional identities’ in the classroom, specifically how dominant discourses in institutions frame the social role, requisite skills and character required to practice a profession, and how students navigate these along their academic trajectories. This book is based on a longitudinal case study of a prestigious HE institution specialising in training professional interpreters.
Adopting an innovative research approach, it investigates a community of aspiring professionals in a HE context by drawing on small story narrative analysis from an ethnographic perspective to provide emic insights into the student community and the development of their social identities. The findings (contextualised by examining the curricula of similar institutions worldwide) suggest that interpreter institutions might not be providing students with a clear and comprehensive picture of the interpreter profession, and not responding to its increasingly complex role in today’s society.Researching HE Institutions for Professional Training
Introduction: An Ethnographic and Narrative Approach to Professional Training
Why Interpreting?
Professional Identities
Narrative Research
The Institution
The Researcher and the Research: Auto-ethnography
Developments in Interpreting
Historical Development of the Interpreter Role in Society
Community Interpreting Versus Conference Interpreting: Different Interpreter Identities
Competing ‘Discourses’ About the Interpreter’s Identity
Developments in Interpreting Studies: A General Overview
Developments in Interpreting Studies in Italy
The Professions and Bourdieusian TheoryHistorical Approaches to the Term ‘Profession’ in the Social Sciences
Bourdieusian Theory and the Professional Field
The Interpreting ‘Profession’ Today
Narrative Research
The History of Narrative Research in the Social Sciences
The New Narrative Turn: An Introduction
Big Story and Small Story Research: Narratives as Finished Texts or Discursive Products
(Re)Defining Terms in the New Narrative Turn
Narratives, Histories and Stories
Identity
Identity and Self
Bridging the Gap Between Self and Social Identity: Indexicality
A Dialogical Approach to Human Interaction
Bakhtinian Theory and Its Relevancy to Narrative
Narrative Positioning Analysis: A Dialogical Approach to Narrative Research
An Ethnographic Approach to Narrative Research
Ethnography as a Research Method
Introduction to Ethnography
Criticisms of Ethnography: Introduction
Ontological and Epistemological Concerns
Theoretical and Methodological Concerns
An Ethnographic Study and an Ethnographic Perspective
Carrying Out Research in the Field
Introduction to the Research
Research Plan and Interview Guide
Research Participants
Ethnographic Methodologies in the Research: Field Notes
An Ethnographic Perspective: The Classroom
Overview of the Narrative Research Data
Analysing Narrative Content and Form: Categorical and Holistic Approaches
Holistic-Content Analysis
Categorical-Content Analysis
Categorical-Form Analysis (An Analysis of Emotive Experience)
Narrative Positioning Analysis—Introduction
Historical Development of Narrative Positioning
Identity in Narrative Positioning Analysis
How Narrative Positioning Analysis is Applied in the Research
Analysis of the Principal ThemesThemes in the Data
Teacher Talk About the Professional Interpreter
Talk About Language Learning
Talk About the Character of the Interpreter-Student in the Institution
Talk About Teacher-Student Relations in the Institution
Summary of Quantitative Data
Data Focus
Data Analysis: Teacher Talk About Interpreting
The Salience of Teacher Talk—Introduction
Narrative About a Teacher: Moscato
The Interpreter as a ‘Language Expert’: Examples Across the Data
The Discourse of the Interpreter as a Language Expert: The Institution
The Interpreter as an Individual with ‘Talent’: Wider Implications
Higher Education and Neoliberal Discourses
The Interpreter and a Life of ‘Stress’: Teacher Discourses
Initial Conclusions
Alternative Discourses About the Professional Interpreter’s Identity
The Discourse of the Interpreter as Being Agentive and Visible
General Conclusions
Data Analysis: Language Levels and Interpreting
The Interpreter and the Native Speaker—Introduction
Narrative on Becoming as Good as Native Speakers: The ‘Rutland’ Narrative
Second Occurrence of the Rutland Narrative
(Re)Positioning Towards Native-Like Models of Speech Across the Data
Language Level Goals Set by the Institution
Competing Discourses on the Native-Speaker Model in Language Teaching and Learning
Initial Conclusions
Acquiring an ‘Interpreter Level’ and the Limitations of Time: Matteo’s Narrative
Acquiring an ‘Interpreter Level’ and the Limitations of Time: Rosa’s Narrative
Acquiring an ‘Interpreter Level’ and the Limitations of Time: Maria’s Narrative
The Effect of Discourses on Student Goals
General Conclusions
Data Analysis: Students and the Institution
Interpreter-Students in the Institution—Introduction
The Relationship Between Work and Play: Rosa’s Narrative
‘I’m a Nerd Now’: Rosa’s Second Narrative
The Relationship Between Work and Play: Silvia’s Narrative
The Relationship Between Work and Play: Maria’s Narrative
Initial Conclusions
Students and Competition in the Institution—Introduction
Narrative About Student Competition—The First Group Interview
Participant (Re-)Positioning in Relation to Competition Across the Data—Introduction
General Conclusions
A Summary of the Principal Findings
General Conclusions—Introduction
Teacher Talk About Interpreters
The Professional Interpreter and the Native Speaker
Interpreter-Student Identities in the Institution
Improving and Extending Research in the Field
Concluding Summary
The Institution and the Student: Differing Perceptions
Suggestions for Changes to the Institution and Its Curricula
Unanswered Questions: Improving Future Research Methods
The Research as an ‘Italian’ Case Study: Relevancies for Italian Institutions
Global Perspectives on Interpreter Training
Constructing Professional Identities in the Classroom: Suggestions for Further Research