The dialogue interpreter's visibility

Ren Wen

College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Sichuan University

This paper, based on the analysis of the nature of dialogue interpreting and its features different from those of conference interpreting, is to view the dialogue interpreter as a visible power figure capable of exerting significant impact on the process and outcome of cross-cultural interaction. It proves that, by acting simultaneously as an information gate-keeper, co-interlocutor and discourse process mediator, the dialogue interpreter has always been present and visible, thus deconstructing the myth of invisibility that has long been imposed upon the dialogue interpreter.

Key Words: dialogue interpreting; invisibility; visibility