ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to shed light on the subjective nature of the decision-making process in community interpreting. Based on the research and personal experience as a healthcare and court interpreter, the author takes an in-depth look at the thin line dividing interpreters and intercultural mediators, rethinking key concepts such as empathy and impartiality from interpreters’ and providers’ perspectives in relation to normative, traditional standards of conduct. The evolution of the interpreter's role provides evidence for how their presence induces changes in power dynamics and goes hand in hand with the three main roles that the interpreter may assume within the interpreter-mediated event: performer, participant, and moderator in a social space where people collaborate. Thus, it entails a reflection from a relational and dynamic approach on what guides the interpreters’ decisions and how this contributes wider perceptions of community interpreting and mediatory impartiality in particular.
