Mediha Ohranovi?, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
The service ideal represents a core element in the so-called ‘trait’ approach in the Sociology of Professions. The service ideal is a ubiquitous feature in the models suggested under this approach and it is presented as interacting with other attributes of professions: (i) knowledge, (ii) professional association and codes of ethics, (iii) jurisdiction, autonomy and self-control. This paper focuses on the role of the ‘service ideal’ trait in the professionalization models adopted and adapted in interpreting studies. The study hypothesizes that the service ideal does not play a pivotal role in the scientific production of interpreting studies scholars as it does in the originally developed models. To test the hypothesis, a content analysis of interpreting studies literature is conducted to find out to what extent interpreting studies covers topics related to the four central attributes of professions mentioned above, including the service ideal. The analysis showed that all these features are present in the literature discussing the professionalization of interpreting. The service ideal has a focal role in texts about interpreters’ codes of ethics, but it cannot be said to represent a key aspect in interpreting professionalization models. The question arises as to whether interpreting studies’ incursion in the sociology of professions has neglected the complex interaction between the different elements and the role of this particular feature as a quintessential piece.
Keywords: interpreting; translation studies; professionalization; sociology of professions; service ideal; client’s best interest