Empirical phenomenology for the study of consecutive interpreting

pp. 67-106

in: Alexander Kozin, Consecutive interpreting, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

Abstract

This chapter presents an interdisciplinary methodology which is custom-designed for the study of consecutive interpreting. The need for a specific methodology rises from the mixed perspective on the phenomenon that involves two dimensions: phenomenological and empirical. In this chapter, I introduce the main analytical concepts and types of phenomenological analysis. I subsequently connect them to respective communication methods (ethnomethodology and conversation analysis) that are based on the analysis of the naturally occurring data and symbolic interactionism, which examines consecutive interpreting metaphorically, such as film. The direction of the analysis is progressive as it moves from investigating essential structures of consecutive interpreting to its symbolic meaning. Special attention is paid to the relationship between general phenomenological conceptualizations and specific empirical applications.