Introducing Interpreting Studies

by Franz Pöchhacker

A millennial practice which emerged as a profession only in the twentieth century, interpreting has recently come into its own as a subject of academic study. This book introduces students, researchers and practitioners to the fast-developing discipline of Interpreting Studies.

Written by a leading researcher in the field, Introducing Interpreting Studies covers interpreting in all its varied forms, from international conference to community-based settings, in both spoken and signed modalities.

The book first guides the reader through the evolution of the field, reviewing influential concepts, models and methodological approaches. It then presents the main areas of research on interpreting, and identifies present and future trends in Interpreting Studies.

Featuring chapter summaries, guides to the main points covered, and suggestions for further reading, Franz Pöchhacker’s practical and user-friendly textbook is the definitive map of this important and growing discipline.

Introducing Interpreting Studies gives a comprehensive overview of the field and offers guidance to those undertaking research of their own. The book is complemented by The Interpreting Studies Reader (Routledge, 2002), a collection of seminal contributions to research in Interpreting Studies, and by the comprehensive Routledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies (Routledge, 2015).

Genres: School, Nonfiction, Linguistics

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for uni so my motivations were... limited.
It's an introduction into the history of interpreting studies (written by my teacher) as well as developments within the field (academization, different theoretical and methodological models, main pioneering works and researchers etc).
It's interesting at times and slow at others, so I did skim-read some sections of it. Overall, as far as I am able to tell, this is a pretty concise and comprehensive introduction which does its intended job quite well.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful information but at times too technical for an introduction, and it is not well written. It needs a good bit of editing. Best book available for what it does, though.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donderdag examen LETSGO

Ps: examen geknald

[Ayu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introductory book to interpreting. Only thing I would change is author's liberal and seemingly arbitrary use of boldface type. Good content, though.

[Enikő · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am new to interpreting, studies or otherwise. It was only a little over a year ago that I went to an info session and decided to pursue interpreting as a career. I had to read the first chapter of this book for my Interpretation Theory class and, finding it both informative and easy to understand, I decided to read the rest of it, this being reading week.

I especially like Parts I and II, which deal with topics we have covered in class, but through readings from other volumes, such as The Routledge Handbook of Interpreting, The Interpreting Studies Reader and the Routledge Encyclopedia of Interpreting Studies. Still, repetition is key, so it was nice to have these reminders as I read. Part III was perhaps a little less interesting for me, but that is where I realized why we only read the first chapter in class: this is an introduction to interpreting studies--research. I am only taking my first (practical) baby steps in interpreting.

Things I do not like about this book:
- The words in bold characters were distracting. (Also, even in the last chapters, I kept thinking I would find them in a glossary).
- There is no glossary.
- The chapter summaries disappeared after Part I. I missed them in the rest of the book.

[Rome · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite a long read. See how long it took me :)

It's not that it's boring to read this book. In fact, it's full of information I'd had to stop at each chapter to digest what I had just read.

It's a good book for those who are looking into studying the practice of interpreting much better. There's a lot of jargons that are probably not known to hobbyist readers, but it's okay. I read a book called "Introduction to Translation Studies" before reading this book so I am already quite familiar with the jargons and linguistic terms used when I read this book.

There's a lot of technical stuff here and there.

If you're a hobbyist reader, I'd recommend reading just the History part and then the Directions.

[Marko Mravunac · Rating 3 out of 5]

at times too technical for an introduction, too detailed, and not clear enough. it could also do with a round of editing (or two)