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Chapter 5. Turn-taking management in interpreted legal aid lawyer-client interviews

  • Han Xu
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Interpreting in Legal and Healthcare Settings
This chapter is in the book Interpreting in Legal and Healthcare Settings

Abstract

In interpreted encounters, it is important for the primary speakers to follow turn-taking rules. However, in real practice, overlapping speech and lengthy turns at talk happen from time to time, creating difficulty for the interpreter to perform adequately. Generating data from observations of authentic interpreted lawyer-client interviews in Australia, this study examines how lawyers and interpreters manage turns. Findings show that the two professionals work in a relationship featuring shifting alignment and confrontation. Most of the time, lawyers work collaboratively with the interpreters to manage turns to facilitate interpreting; at other times, they compete for turns to achieve their own goals. Better professionally qualified interpreters are more capable of managing discourse and meeting ethical requirements in cases of conflict with lawyers.

Abstract

In interpreted encounters, it is important for the primary speakers to follow turn-taking rules. However, in real practice, overlapping speech and lengthy turns at talk happen from time to time, creating difficulty for the interpreter to perform adequately. Generating data from observations of authentic interpreted lawyer-client interviews in Australia, this study examines how lawyers and interpreters manage turns. Findings show that the two professionals work in a relationship featuring shifting alignment and confrontation. Most of the time, lawyers work collaboratively with the interpreters to manage turns to facilitate interpreting; at other times, they compete for turns to achieve their own goals. Better professionally qualified interpreters are more capable of managing discourse and meeting ethical requirements in cases of conflict with lawyers.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments vii
  4. Introduction. Interpreting in legal and healthcare settings 1
  5. Part I. Interpreting in legal settings
  6. Chapter 1. Linguistic disadvantage before the law 21
  7. Chapter 2. Tell us about that 45
  8. Chapter 3. Interpreting for refugees 63
  9. Chapter 4. Australian court interpreters’ preparation practices 83
  10. Chapter 5. Turn-taking management in interpreted legal aid lawyer-client interviews 113
  11. Chapter 6. Legal translator and interpreter training in languages of lesser diffusion in Spain 133
  12. Chapter 7. Organising a profession 165
  13. Chapter 8. Teaching police to work effectively with interpreters 189
  14. Part II. Interpreting in healthcare settings
  15. Chapter 9. Exploring role expectations of healthcare interpreters in New Zealand 211
  16. Chapter 10. Communication issues during triage in a paediatric emergency department 243
  17. Chapter 11. Medical interpreting as an emerging profession in Hong Kong 263
  18. Chapter 12. Overcoming language barriers in the Spanish healthcare context 287
  19. Chapter 13. Relational, situational and discourse features of mental health interactions 313
  20. Contributors 343
  21. Subject index 345
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.151.05xu

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgments vii
  4. Introduction. Interpreting in legal and healthcare settings 1
  5. Part I. Interpreting in legal settings
  6. Chapter 1. Linguistic disadvantage before the law 21
  7. Chapter 2. Tell us about that 45
  8. Chapter 3. Interpreting for refugees 63
  9. Chapter 4. Australian court interpreters’ preparation practices 83
  10. Chapter 5. Turn-taking management in interpreted legal aid lawyer-client interviews 113
  11. Chapter 6. Legal translator and interpreter training in languages of lesser diffusion in Spain 133
  12. Chapter 7. Organising a profession 165
  13. Chapter 8. Teaching police to work effectively with interpreters 189
  14. Part II. Interpreting in healthcare settings
  15. Chapter 9. Exploring role expectations of healthcare interpreters in New Zealand 211
  16. Chapter 10. Communication issues during triage in a paediatric emergency department 243
  17. Chapter 11. Medical interpreting as an emerging profession in Hong Kong 263
  18. Chapter 12. Overcoming language barriers in the Spanish healthcare context 287
  19. Chapter 13. Relational, situational and discourse features of mental health interactions 313
  20. Contributors 343
  21. Subject index 345
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