ABSTRACT
Public perceptions of the role of interpreters tend to assume that linguistic structures are readily, indeed more or less automatically, transferable between languages and therefore that interpreting is a very straightforward, non-technical task. A significant body of research and scholarship now attests to the opposite view: interpreting is actually highly complex and can impose an extremely demanding cognitive and emotional load. The impact of such misperception can be seen at all levels of policy and practice. This account describes and reflects on the current picture before exemplifying the resulting ‘state of play’ in one increasingly multilingual country, Scotland. We suggest that, although management of multilingualism via translation and interpreting remains very much ‘work in progress’, some aspects of appropriately enhanced provision already exist here in respect of users of one of Scotland’s indigenous languages, British Sign Language (BSL). Drawing together aspects of research and policy described in the literature, we show how both sign language (SL) interpreting and wider public service interpreting have progressed, and yet leave many unresolved issues pressing for attention as those who wish to be ‘at home’ in a multilingual society seek ways to ensure that they understand and are understood.
