7th EST CONGRESS – GERMERSHEIM 2013

29 – 31 August 2013

Translation Studies: Centres and Peripheries

Call for Papers:

Panel 8: Interpreting and conflict mediation ( Aline Remael, Mary Carroll)

The session is intended as an interdisciplinary discourse on interpreting and (conflict) mediation, an area in which a clear definition of roles and responsibilities of mediators and interpreters is essential. With national legislation in place in many countries as well as the EU actively promoting various forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) including Mediation (see e.g. EU Mediation Directive of 2008), the number of cross-border mediations involving more than one language is rapidly on the increase. Interpreters, who in certain contexts also describe themselves as mediators, are often essential additional participants in otherwise triadic mediation scenarios which range from judicial, family, neighbourhood and commercial inter- and intra-company mediations to international peace talks. However, many interpreters are unaware of the qualification profile of (conflict) mediators and the formalised structure and intervention strategies applied in professional mediation, while (conflict) mediators frequently understand little about interpreting and the qualifications required for it to be effective. This thematic session aims to address interpreting and mediation from an interdisciplinary angle.