ABSTRACT
An interpreter has to handle many interpersonal factors (Dean & Pollard, 2001) that may arise when dealing with, for example, difficult clients, distressed witnesses, or overworked police officers. The interpreter also must be able to identify and resolve any environmental factors (ibid) that may affect interpreting quality (e.g., when the venue lacks privacy or is too noisy or too hot/cold). Furthermore, the interpreter has to monitor and coordinate the flow of communication between the conversing parties (e.g., when overlapping of talk prevents effective interpreting or a party talks for too long without a pause for interpreting). And, finally, there are the intrapersonal factors (ibid) that affect the interpreting situation, for example, if the interpreter feels emotionally drained by a victim’s account or is physically unwell for some reason.
