A less prestigious variety of interpreting

I picked in the prologue of the book "Medical Interpreting and Cross-cultural communication" this sentence :

"Up until the 1990s, medical interpreting was perceived as a less prestigious variety of interpreting, practiced mostly by ad hoc interpreters. Without a theoretical underpinning to account for the special type of interaction that occurs in a medical setting, medical interpreting standards of practice and ethical principles have been largely based on conference or court practices. In many cases, these standards and principles have been blindly transferred to medical setting, and in a few cases they have been adapted to address the complexities of medical interpreting to a limited extent. Central to the standards of practice has been the role of the interpreter."

A little bit later :

"Through (interpreters) words ad actions, I have witnessed the emergence of a tension, which has become a source of interest to me. It seems that a contradiction exists between the role that is prescribed for interpreters (through codes and rules, both inside and outside the classrooms) and the role that unfolds in the practice of interpreting [...]. Schools and associations prescribe an invisible interpreter. However the interpreter at work seems very visible to me."

Indeed.

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