The Interdisciplinary Approach in Community Interpreting Research

Abstract

Community interpreting is a complex activity that has been studied from many different angles. Based on a review of the literature, this paper aims to highlight the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in community interpreting research, as well as the close relationship between the theoretical and methodological frameworks that have been used to date. As a prospective study and by describing theories applied from five different fields (i.e. anthropology, sociology, applied linguistics, communication sciences and psychology), it seeks to provide a comprehensive outline of the interdisciplinary approach adopted in community interpreting research as a basis for future studies in this field. Finally, it suggests a map for this interdisciplinarity, which attempts to reflect how the different disciplines can converge and complement each other for the purpose of research.