Escort Interpreters as the Participants of Communication

Abstract

Escort interpreting, the highly demanded form of interpreting in domestic market, obtains the least attention in the aspects of academic research, interpreter training and accreditation. In this paper, the author affirms that escort interpreting is a distinctive profession, reveals the differences between conference interpreting and escort interpreting and points out the characteristics of escort interpreting in China. From the perspective of communication, this paper demonstrates that escort interpreting, in nature, is an act of communication. Escort interpreters are participants of the communication who work jointly with their clients to achieve the same goal of the communication. They adopt proper communicative strategies to protect the result of the communication and sometimes mediate between the interlocutors of different cultural backgrounds. It is suggested by the author that such characteristics of escort interpreting and escort interpreters should be fully considered when the escort interpreters are trained and accredited.