In and Out of the Pandemic: COVID-19 Aftermath in the World of Translation and Interpreting (and Beyond)

Abstract

Over two years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world of translation and interpreting has been tested, challenged and re-projected possibly in all of its facets. Similar to other sectors, the translation and interpreting market has been facing the question of how fundamental the changes in the aftermath of the pandemic will be, whilst translators and interpreters across the globe have been adapting to new working contexts and situations. Going remote has revealed its pros and cons – work-wise, training-wise, but also socially. As with nearly every other crisis, the pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of translation and interpreting services in the public-service sector, during acute crisis situations, as well as in providing general information to all, inviting translation and interpreting professionals and volunteers to step in and help when needed. The training of future professionals has been tested across the globe, often resorting to emergency remote training (Breton 2020), trying to react to changed training and social conditions (Wu – Wei 2021, Perez – Hodáková 2021), and abruptly changing the translation and interpreting profession. It appears that these processes encourage and stimulate approaches focusing on previously overlooked or underestimated aspects of translation and interpreting, as well as innovative points of view and strategies in translator and interpreter training. These might be of great potential for contexts beyond the current pandemic.