Dialogue interpreting is a generic term covering a diverse range of fields of interpreting which have in common the basic feature of face-to-face interaction between three parties: the interpreter and (at least) two other speakers. The interaction consists of spontaneous dialogue, involving relatively short turns at talk, in two languages. It is usually goal-directed in the sense that there is some outcome to be negotiated. The studies in this volume cover several different fields: courtroom interpreting, doctor-patient interviews, immigration interviews, etc., and involve a range of different languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, More and Austrian Sign Language. They have in common that they view the interpreter as just one of the parties to this three-way exchange, in which each participant's moves can affect each other participant and thus the outcome of the event. In Part I, new research directions are explored in studies which piece together evidence of the ways dialogue interpreters actually behave and the effects of their behaviour. This is followed by two studies which discuss traditional interpreter roles - the 'King's Linguist' in Burkina Faso and the Oranda Tsuji, official interpreters employed in isolationist eighteenth-century Japan to ensure contact with the outside world. Finally, issues involved in training are the subject of two chapters relating to Austria and the UK. The variety of aspects and approaches represented in the volume - linguistic, cultural, pragmatic, historical - offer a rich and fascinating overview of the field of dialogue interpreting studies as it now stands.

Discourse and the Translator both incorporates and moves beyond previous studies of translation. Its logical and informative approach to the problems of translation ensures that it will be essential for all those who work with languages 'in contact'. Incorporating research in sociolinguistics, discourse studies, pragmatics and semiotics, the authors analyse the process and product of translation in their social contexts. Through this analysis, the book emphasises the importance of the translator as a mediator between cultures.

Following the rapid expansion of translation studies as an emergent (inter-)discipline over recent decades, demand for doctoral research opportunities is now growing fast in many countries. At the same time, doctoral training packages of a generic nature have been elaborated and refined at many universities, drawing on long traditions of doctoral research in established disciplines. A degree of consensus no doubt exists on such matters as the need for rigor, method and the generation of new knowledge. Beyond that, however, there are a host of issues specific to translation and interpreting studies that remain under-researched and under-discussed. Contributors to this special issue encourage reflection on a range of issues in ways that foster further debate and collaboration on the development of doctoral studies within the field. A number of concrete proposals are offered that could be adapted to local situations in different countries and academic settings. While some of the contributions adopt a mainly empirical stance, others adopt a broad perspective on training, citing examples of widely differing projects. Two contributors offer insights from personal experience of doctoral study while another describes the organization of doctoral work within the conceptual framework of a research group. All consider training from the angle of student needs and offer concrete suggestions for ensuring that doctoral candidates are equipped with the guidance, concepts, methods and tools required for success.

Dialogue interpreting is a generic term covering a diverse range of fields of interpreting which have in common the basic feature of face-to-face interaction between three parties: the interpreter and (at least) two other speakers. The interaction consists of spontaneous dialogue, involving relatively short turns at talk, in two languages. It is usually goal-directed in the sense that there is some outcome to be negotiated. The studies in this volume cover several different fields: courtroom interpreting, doctor-patient interviews, immigration interviews, etc., and involve a range of different languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, More and Austrian Sign Language. They have in common that they view the interpreter as just one of the parties to this three-way exchange, in which each participant's moves can affect each other participant and thus the outcome of the event. In Part I, new research directions are explored in studies which piece together evidence of the ways dialogue interpreters actually behave and the effects of their behaviour. This is followed by two studies which discuss traditional interpreter roles - the 'King's Linguist' in Burkina Faso and the Oranda Tsuji, official interpreters employed in isolationist eighteenth-century Japan to ensure contact with the outside world. Finally, issues involved in training are the subject of two chapters relating to Austria and the UK. The variety of aspects and approaches represented in the volume - linguistic, cultural, pragmatic, historical - offer a rich and fascinating overview of the field of dialogue interpreting studies as it now stands.

By taking an integrated approach to translation, Hatim and Mason provide a refreshingly unprejudiced contribution to translation theory.

By taking an integrated approach to translation, Hatim and Mason provide a refreshingly unprejudiced contribution to translation theory.

Dialogue interpreting includes what is variously referred to in English as Community, Public Service, Liaison, Ad Hoc or Bilateral Interpreting - the defining characteristic being interpreter-mediated communication in spontaneous face-to-face interaction. Included under this heading are all kinds of professional encounters: police, immigration and welfare services interviews, doctor-patient interviews, business negotiations, political interviews, lawyer-client and courtroom interpreting and so on. Whereas research into conference interpreting is now well established, the investigation of dialogue interpreting as a professional activity is still in its infancy, despite some highly promising publications in recent years. This special issue of The Translator, guest-edited by one of the leading scholars in translation studies, provides a forum for bringing together separate strands within this developing field and should create an impetus for further research. Viewing the interpreter as a gatekeeper, coordinator and negotiator of meanings within a three-way interaction, the descriptive studies included in this volume focus on issues such as role-conflict, in-group loyalties, participation status, relevance and the negotiation of face, thus linking the observation of interpreting practice to pragmatic constraints such as power, distance and face-threat and to semiotic constraints such as genres and discourses as socio-textual practices of particular cultural communities.

Discourse and the Translator both incorporates and moves beyond previous studies of translation. Its logical and informative approach to the problems of translation ensures that it will be essential for all those who work with languages 'in contact'. Incorporating research in sociolinguistics, discourse studies, pragmatics and semiotics, the authors analyse the process and product of translation in their social contexts. Through this analysis, the book emphasises the importance of the translator as a mediator between cultures.