The professional status of conference interpreters in the Republic of Ireland: An exploratory study

Abstract

Although the country has a long history of language contact, conference interpreting in the Republic of Ireland is a relatively new field of activity and has largely evolved in response to the recognition of Irish as the 23rd official language of the European Union in 2007. Building on previous studies undertaken in other EU translation and interpreting markets, it was decided to evaluate the professional status of conference interpreters in the Republic of Ireland through applying a professionalization model. The research findings were based on a series of six interviews with qualified conference interpreters active on the Irish market. Through the analysis of practitioners’ views regarding professional identity, recognition, and the unique role of the Irish language, an exploratory overview of the domestic conference interpreting profession was provided.