The Roles Of The Liaison Interpreter In Light Of Michel Foucault’s Concept Of Power

The thesis, with supporting examples from real interpreted communicative event(ICE), is intended to discuss and explore multiple roles of liaison interpreter in light ofMichel Foucault’s concept of power. Foucault’s concept of power includes fouraspects—power is dispersed, power is netlike, discourse is power and power isproductive. The author, based on research findings on the roles of the interpreter,concludes four roles of the liaison interpreter, namely, communication co-constructor,communication coordinator, communication facilitator and cultural mediator. WithFoucault’s concept of power, the author attempts to justify the roles of the liaisoninterpreter and discusses the power embodied in the roles of the liaison interpreter. Thesignificance of the study lies in two aspects. For one thing, it attempts to furtherdiscover the roles of the liaison interpreter, enrich the current research in liaisoninterpreting and draw the attention of more scholars and researchers to the subject ofthis study; for another, it may help the liaison interpreter better understand his roleswith an ultimate goal of improving his service quality.