Challenges To The Invisibility Of Public Service Interpreters Working In Health Care Settings

Interpreting is a form of communicative behavior,affected by various factors.Although simultaneous and consecutive interpreting gain increasing popularity in most international arena,public service interpreting(PSI)has also played a vital role in many social activities like business conference and health care settings due to its flexibility,accuracy and high professionalism.In the field of public service interpreting,there is a vital requirement: invisibility.Compared with other standards of interpreting quality,invisibility is far less discussed.While many professional associations of public service interpreting regulate invisibility in their codes and standards,it is worth arguing that with the growing need in healthcare interpreting,is absolute invisibility still feasible?This dissertation aims to investigate the issue of invisibility in healthcare interpreting.It starts with a brief introduction to the development of PSI in England and China,its professionalization as well as its current problems.Through the discussion of interpreters? invisible and visible roles,the concept that healthcare interpreter?s role is situation-dependent is introduced.Then it compares the two notions: invisibility and impartiality.After that,the dissertation examines PSIs? self-perception and clients? perceptions of invisibility,and then it investigates in depth the affordances of invisibility.Finally,the dissertation comes to the conclusion that in healthcare settings,invisibility and visibility should get combined to provide better service for the clients.It ends with the suggestions of possible strategies in policy and practice to improve invisibility and enhance the quality of the service.