AIIC USA Webinar: Interpreting as Emotional Labor

AIIC USA Webinar

"Interpreting as Emotional Labor: Exploring the Social Carpet of Conference and Broadcast Interpreting"

with

Dr. Ozum Arzik-Erzurumlu,

October 5, 2024, Saturday

10 AM US Pacific time/1 PM US Eastern Time

2 hours

By drawing upon both existing research and personal experiences in interpreting speeches by US Presidents such as Joe Biden and Donald Trump for several broadcasting institutions, Ozum Arzık-Erzurumlu will illustrate how interpreters develop attachments to the speakers and situations they interpret.

She will also discuss the challenges interpreters face when dealing with traumatic news and events, such as the Ukrainian-Russian war, and the resources available to them in such situations.

The presentation aims to illuminate how interpreters struggle to maintain neutrality, often masking their own emotions, which is closely tied to the concept of emotional labor.

Additionally, the speaker will examine how this emphasis on neutrality can obscure the human aspect of the interpreter's role.

By advocating for a more transparent recognition of the emotional labor involved in broadcast and conference interpreting and emphasizing the interpreter's agency, the speaker will argue for greater acknowledgment of interpreters.

Ozum Arzik-Erzurumlu, PhD. is a full-time faculty member at University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, Program in Translation and Interpreting Studies.

Holding a PhD in Translation Studies and an MA in International Relations, Dr. Arzik-Erzurumlu's research interests encompass various aspects of interpretation, including conference interpreting, sociology of interpreting, interpreting technology, interpreter training, and interpreting history.

Her research appeared in several journals including Translation and Interpreting Studies and Interpreting.

She is a professional conference interpreter with Turkish (A), English (B) and Spanish (C). She has interpreted American Presidents for various Turkish broadcasters since 2006 and remains an active member of the Turkish Conference Interpreters’ Association.

Dr. Arzik- Erzurumlu is currently working on her book manuscript entitled Reimagining Conference Interpreting: Adapting to the Remote Landscape in the Post-Pandemic World, which is scheduled for publication by Routledge.

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