ABSTRACT
Conversation Analysis (CA) is a theoretical-methodological approach that was developed in the 1960-1970 by the US sociologist Harvey Sacks and first conceptualized in a joint work by Sacks et al. On this basis, CA has developed a particular method of transcription that highlights the coordinating features of the turn-taking system. The CA method applied to analyses of informal interpreting activity in conversations carried out by improvised interpreters to help participants of different languages understand each other. While the focus of this work is on interpreting as a resource for understanding, as a professional activity, some papers may provide useful suggestions for studying the management of translation in bilingual plurilingual talk. CA studies of interpreter-mediated interaction have shown that, in carrying out their interpreting activity, interpreters systematically orient themselves toward the goals of the interaction. While analyses concern monolingual interaction in English, they may provide a useful methodological reference.
