On The Role Of The Liaison Interpreter

In the literature of interpreting research, there is not yet any in-depth discussion of the role of liaison interpreters. The current thesis is an attempt to explore the nature of the role of the liaison interpreter and to come up with an appropriate description. There are two motivations behind the research: one intrinsic and the other practical. From the point of view of interpreting studies, the author believes such an attempt is valuable as a vehicle for investigating interpreting in an all-round way. From the point of view of interpreting practice, it is important for the liaison interpreter to have a clear recognition of the role he/she plays in the interpreting event, so that his/her behavior therein can be justified and quality interpreting can be assured.The thesis is divided into three chapters, excluding an introduction and a conclusion.Chapter 1 is an introduction to the thesis, including the impetus behind and the purpose of the thesis. It used to be commonly understood that the interpreter should do nothing but to translate during an interpreting event. However, observing real-life practice of liaison interpreters, one will find that such understanding is not applicable. Therefore, the thesis is devoted to the discussion of the role of the liaison interpreter.Chapter 2 is a brief review of descriptions and metaphors ever used in a view to explore the role of interpreters as a whole. The descriptions can be divided into three categories, namely helper, conduit model and cultural mediator, hinging upon the distinction between extreme personal involvement, extreme non-involvement and moderate personal involvement. The descriptions are overall studies of the role of all kinds of interpreters and do not reveal the nature of the liaison interpreter's role.