POLISH-ENGLISH CERTIFIED INTERPRETERS IN PSYCHO-AFFECTIVELY CHALLENGING CONTEXTS

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to bring to light selected Polish-English certified interpreters’ working contexts which trigger the activation of those interpreters’ psycho-affectivity. In other words, this study aims at illuminating those occupational settings in which Polish-English certified interpreters working in Poland experience psycho-affective factors which – in turn – can affect adversely interpreting quality. The first part of the article presents the concept of the interpreter’s psycho-affectivity with its constituent elements – seven psycho-affective factors (i.e., anxiety, fear, language inhibition/language ego/language boundaries, extroversion/introversion/ambiversion, self-esteem, motivation and stress). What follows is an overview of the profile of a Polish-English certified interpreter by referring to some legal and practical issues inherent in this profession practised in Poland. The final section of this article is devoted to the analysis of several occupational contexts (i.e., courtroom, notary’s office, police station, hospital) in which the studied interpreters’ psycho-affectivity comes into play by affecting the interpreters and their interpreting performance. The data for the analysis were derived from factual, attitudinal and behavioural data collected during a qualitative psycho-affectivity-related study conducted among 76 Polish-English interpreters. Keywords: psycho-affective factors, interpreter’s psycho-affectivity, certified interpreters, occupational contexts of interpreting, consecutive interpreting