A Proposal for the Inclusion of the Parameter “Booth Manners” in Quality Assessment in Simultaneous Conference Interpreting

Abstract

This paper seeks to present a new Spanish parameter called “protocolo de cabina” (booth manners) to assess quality in simultaneous conference interpreting and to create a new assessment system. In professional interpreting, delegates and boothmates can often perceive a deterioration in the quality of the interpreting, chiefly due to the fact that interpreters lack awareness of booth manners. Of the components of booth manners, ‘noise’ seems to impact negatively on the product. Nevertheless, the parameter ‘booth manners’ and the intraparameter ‘noise’ are only given a very minor role in the theoretical models of quality assessment if they are included at all. To overcome this problem, the paper surveys this parameter and its main components. It also proposes a categorization of the intraparameter ‘noise’, so that simultaneous interpreters can be more aware of noise reduction as a key factor in interpreting quality. In fact, solving noise problems in interpreting could shift the way simultaneous interpreters interact with the booth and its equipment.