Towards a multimodal approach for analysing interpreter's management of rapport challenge in onsite and video remote interpreting

Abstract

Recently, interpreters' management of rapport is increasingly being investigated. Yet little attention has been directed towards the role of the interpreter's non-verbal behaviour when managing rapport and to the influence of video mediated forms of interpreting on the use of non-verbal behaviour. Therefore, this study proposes a multimodal micro-interactional framework for analysing interpreters' management of rapport challenge in both onsite (OSI) and video remote interpreting (VRI) interaction. The paper introduces a multimodal coding scheme based on Spencer-Oatey's Rapport Management Theory (2008), which is then applied to a dataset of video recorded interpreter-mediated interactions to examine how interpreters employ verbal, paraverbal, and non-verbal resources to multimodally address rapport challenge. Data were collected from simulated interactions involving professional public service interpreters and role-players adopting the role of primary participants in a reception centre for asylum seekers. The findings reveal that in OSI interpreters use a wide range of non-verbal resources when conveying rapport challenges, whereas VRI imposes constraints on non-verbal communication, often necessitating more disruptive verbal strategies to manage rapport. The study underscores the importance of a multimodal approach to interpreting research, highlighting how non-verbal behaviours significantly contribute to the management of interpersonal relations in interpreter-mediated talk.