Interpreting in theory and practice

During the past decades Interpreting Studies has developed quite substantially. A number of initiatives have also been taken to summarize and synthesize research on interpreting of various kinds, performed in a range of settings, involving spoken as well as signed languages (e.g. Garzone and Viezzi 2002; Pöchhacker and Shlesinger 2002; Hertog and van der Veer 2006). The aim of this paper is less to report on the results presented in this growing body of literature, and more to discuss the development of what can be seen as two competing trends – an urge for evidence-based interpreting practice on the one hand, and, on the other hand, an interest in studies of interpreting as an academic field in its own right, i.e. studies designed to explore and explain how interpreting happens. In response to an urge for narrowing a supposed gap between theory and practice, this paper suggests keeping a critical distance.