I am watching this Canadian video in French demonstration the job and role of a "cultural interpreter". Where does "neutrality" stand when the interpreter, and for good reasons, intervene to diffuse an otherwise dangerous situation? The first scene is a powerful enough demonstration that field interpretation is intervention. Therefore, the interpreter is an interventionist, with a role, a duty and a purpose. Life teaches how to behave but school could point a little bit at what interpreting may mean, as an activity, in extra-linguistic terms. Here in Japan, interpretation is all about language, language competency as measured by the number of vocabulary, the quality of your accent, native-like or not, and everything that goes by the language book. The fact is that cultural brokerage is not perceived as an essential part of interpretation when the focus and models show off on TV, by the side of celebs, and in books that cajole the limelight longing of the readers. Languages open up to many doors, the one to the self being the least discussed about. How does this interventionism translated into liaison interpreting in business is a subject to think about.
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