Missed reading

A must read I had totally missed so far, published in 2003 under the title "The importance of Liaison Interpreting in the theoretical Development of Translation Studies", by Elaine Hsieh. It wonderfully wraps up - in the beginning and later pages, what the profession is all about in terms of challenges of delivery and the dimmed image of the profession under the shadow of simultaneous as the king of delivery mode. Hurtingly true is the fact that "Liaison interpreters are often untrained bilinguals who see "interpreting as a temporary occupation, practiced while awaiting an opportunity to start a 'real' job". " The despise of simultaneous interpreters at liaison interpreters - an endemic feature - is paralleled with the liaison interpreter's low profile and uneasiness at her incompetence at simultaneous, felt as a sign of inherent failure. This reading is important to practitioners of liaison interpreting as it helps get a grasp at the inner issues seldom articulated that impair the profession reaching a true, unbiased professional status. You know what? A little dose of pride is a requisite here.