The Status of Conference Interpreters: a Global Survey into the Profession

The study of status has so far received scant attention as a research topic in Interpreting Studies. Although several authors refer to conference interpreting as “one of the fairest and loftiest occupations in the world” (Herbert 1952: 3), no empirical investigation has been carried out so far to assess the validity of the myths attached to the profession. Even though the majority of studies have focused almost exclusively on the status of translators, an empirical study carried out by Dam and Zethsen (2013) revealed that conference interpreters do not place themselves at the top of the status continuum, which means that conference interpreters’ considerations on status do not correspond to the assumptions found in literature on the high standing of the interpreting profession. This paper illustrates the findings of a global survey addressed to conference interpreters worldwide, filled out by 803 respondents, whose objective was to assess how conference interpreters perceive their occupational status and how they believe that conference interpreting is regarded in society. The theoretical framework draws insights from Social Theory and the Sociology of the Professions, which seek to shed light both on interpreters’ self-perception of their work and on how the interpreting profession is socially represented.