Optimising remote interpreting technologies: the user experience perspective

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study that addresses the use of remote interpreting technologies and their impact on community interpreters. Remote interpreting offers a wide range of solutions in order to successfully satisfy the increasing need for languages services in both the public and private sectors. This study focuses on telephone-mediated and video-mediated interpreting, presenting their advantages and disadvantages. A survey has been designed to gather data about the psychological and physiological impacts that remote interpreting technologies generate in community interpreters. The core aim of this study is to ascertain interpreters’ general view on technology, so as to detect deficiencies and suggest ways of improvement. This study is a first contribution focusing on different settings in community interpreting in the direction of optimising remote interpreting technologies. Current demand reveals the enormous potential of remote interpreting, its rapid evolution and generalised presence that this modality will have in the future.