The Interpreter and Implicit Bias

The native language of the interpreter as a direct impact on conversation outcomes

There are many factors at play when the interpreter considers how they can most effectively relay messages between speakers of different languages. Word choice, register, and tone are just a few of the many elements involved in a conversation that are accounted for by interpreters so that the interaction is facilitated as “naturally” as possible. As a Spanish Interpreter myself, I often return to the notion of how my (or that of any interpreter) native language has a direct impact on the product of my work.

And by this, I don’t just mean “English”, “Russian”, “Japanese” or any other national language of origin. I’m talking about the very foundation of how we have grown to interact with the world. In other words, how does the language that we speak at home, in our schools, with friends, family, and colleagues, all come together into the way that we transfer utterances between speakers while interpreting? Of course, all qualified interpreters have been professionally trained in such a way that promotes a neutral dialect at an appropriate register for the given context. However, I firmly deny that we are able to fully detach from our own understanding and use of the language through which we perceive ourselves and others. 

I base this take regarding native language on the notion of implicit bias. According to the National Institute of Health, “implicit bias is a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors” (National Institute of Health). My question, then, is how this definition affects language and the transfer of it? Clearly, the language we employ is automatic and does have an effect on our judgements and behaviors. So although the interpreter renders meaning between two distinct languages and cultures, does their mother language not surely affect their worldview and therefore their tendencies when interpreting? With respect to word choice, for instance, it’s important to ask: what are the words I immediately use in a conversation over others? Or does the language that I use connect personally to one party over another, resulting in a less than ideal outcome? Most importantly for those navigating the translation and interpreting profession, it’s only natural to wonder how this comes into play when many language agencies are only requesting “native speakers”? It seems that their expectations are unrealistic and unclear as to what they are seeking, though it is likely linguistic “fluency”, which is a problematic concept in itself.

Are these implicit biases necessarily bad? I think not, but it is important to recognize them nonetheless. How, then, do we address these implicit biases related to language? In my opinion, we must understand that they exist, learn how they arise in our work as interpreters, and be willing to open ourselves to views different from our own that are rooted in another’s mother tongue.