The borderline business interpreter

"The Liaison Interpreter - A handbook" lays out bare the conflicts that practicing in business means in regard of the totemic rule of neutrality. The discussion in the book is short and exclude any discussion, simply stressing how difficult it can be maintaining neutrality. The paper "Community Interpreting, Reconciliation through Power Management" might give some hints about this issue from discussing what is the role of the interpreter in the dynamic of communication, although it sets "business interpreting" out of community interpreting, labeling it as a synonymous to liaison interpreting, thus putting the activity outside the scope of discussion.

An interpreter may work once and never again for a client in business interpreting. She may hopefully build long time relationship with clients, securing revenues and investing in knowing more about the client's business as to gain a certain level of deep understanding of the client's own point of view and circumstances. This bonding affects the neutrality rule to the point where it is no longer practical to pretend applying it. I wish there was some discussion related to that issue I do not perceive as a fundamental issue myself. Working for the side that pays you for the service comes as a matter of fact. But while neutrality is endangered or simply not tenable, there are some issues of control that must be managed and checked by the interpreter. Things gets less confusing but definitely through away the neutrality issue when long term client tend to see or effectively consider the interpreter as a full-fledge collaborator, asking more than the standard coordination, interpretation service, for instance with the request to perform as a formal or informal local liaison officer, point de passage when they are away from the scene of transaction. The interpreter turned representative, agent of liaison, fumbles with the never ending issue of presentation of the self, adding to her business card additional mention of business support, consulting and the likes. Interpreting as it seems does not match with consulting, at least on the business card. One day, the interpreter feels like her business card should introduce her as a wholesome agent and scrap the annoying, self-deprecating reference to "interpreter". Pure interpreters may not feel that way, but interpreters looking for more ma be sensible to this discussion about the "borderline business interpreter" whose role trespass on what an agent or representative should be.