Reframing Interpreter's Identity in an English as a Lingua Franca World: An Autoethnographic Exploration

Authors

  • Zhourong Shen

    School of Interpreting and Translation, Beijing International Studies University, Beijing 100024, China
  • Bin Gao

    School of English and International Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing 100089, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i10.11085
Received: 15 July 2025 | Revised: 28 July 2025 | Accepted: 1 August 2025 | Published Online: 24 September 2025

Abstract

In the context of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), interpreters increasingly work with clients with higher levels of English proficiency. Interpreters often find themselves remaining silent during conversations, sometimes dealing with non-interpreting tasks. This oxymoron of 'silent interpreter' creates a self-perceived identity crisis for interpreters. Little attention has been given to how interpreters navigate this challenge. This autoethnographic study examines the first author's experience as both an interpreter and researcher during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games through a narrative inquiry approach. The findings reveal that ELF is perceived as an imminent threat to professional identity. Assuming non-interpreting roles generates frustration and a sense of misalignment with the roles prescribed by conventional code of ethics. However, this identity crisis is reconciled by recognizing the value embedded in these expanded responsibilities, which draw on the linguistic and executive abilities developed through professional interpreting training. Reframing interpreter's identity requires embracing a broader spectrum of tasks beyond the conventional role of linguistic transfer, including cultural mediation, communication facilitation, and language consultation. This reframing of professional identity not only helps the reconciliation with the self-perceived identity crisis, but could also empower interpreters at large to adapt to new realities brought by ELF. The research contributes to the discussion of role, identity and ethics in interpreting theory, practice and education.

Keywords:

Interpreter's Identity; Interpreter's Role; Identity Crisis; Beijing 2022 Olympics; English as a Lingua Franca; Autoethnography

References

[1] Albl-Mikasa, M., 2010. Global English and English as a lingua franca (ELF) : implications for the interpreting profession. 3(2), 126–148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21256/ZHAW-4080

[2] Jenkins, J., 2009. English as a lingua franca: interpretations and attitudes. World Englishes. 28(2), 200–207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2009.01582.x

[3] MacKenzie, I., 2012. English as a lingua franca in Europe: bilingualism and multicompetence. International Journal of Multilingualism. 9(1), 83–100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2011.610506

[4] Cogo, A., Dewey, M., 2012. Analyzing English as a lingua franca: a corpus–driven investigation, 1st ed. Continuum International Publishing Group: London, UK. 207 p.

[5] O'Neill, F., 2020. The Intercultural Professional, 1st ed. Palgrave Macmillan: Cham, Switzerland. 265 p.

[6] Sung, C.C.M., 2015. Exploring second language speakers' linguistic identities in ELF communication: a Hong Kong study. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca. 4(2), 309–332. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2015-0022

[7] Bucher, R., Stelling, J.G., 1977. Becoming Professional, 1st ed. Sage Publications: California, CA, USA. 296 p.

[8] De Fina, A., Schiffrin, D., Bamberg, M.G.W. (Eds.), 2006. Discourse and identity. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. 462 p.

[9] Hong, S., Choi, E., 2020. Struggling for professional identity: A narrative inquiry of Korean freelance male interpreters. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation. 66(4–5), 674–688. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00181.hon

[10] Runcieman, A.J., 2018. The Identity of the Professional Interpreter . Springer Singapore: Singpore. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-10-7823-1 (cited 1 October 2022).

[11] Rudvin, M., 2015. Interpreting and professional Identity. In: Mikkelson, H., Jourdenais, R. (eds.). The Routledge handbook of interpreting. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 432–446.

[12] Erikson, E.H., 1994. Identity: youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company: New York, NY, USA. 336 p.

[13] Hale, S.B., 2005. Tne interpreter's identity crisis. In: House, J., Ruano, M.R.M., Baumgarten, N. (eds.). Translation and the Construction of Identity: IATIS Yearbook 2005. IATIS: Seoul, Korea. pp. 14–29.

[14] Gao, B., Shen, Z., 2024. More than just non-professional translators: The public perception of Chinese fansubbers in an English as a Lingua Franca world. The Journal of Specialised Translation. 42(42), 84–102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2024.5984

[15] Gil, J., Adamson, B., 2011. The English Language in Mainland China: A Sociolinguistic Profile. In: Feng, A. (eds). English Language Education Across Greater China. Multilingual Matters: Bristol, UK. pp. 23–45. Available from: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.21832/9781847693518-004/html (cited 29 July 2025).

[16] Zhou, M., 2019. Language Ideology and Order in Rising China, 1st ed. Springer Singapore : Singapore.

[17] Wen Q., 2016. Rethinking of the relationship between language and culture in the context of teaching English as a lingua franca. Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice. 2, 1–7+13. Available from: https://kns.cnki.net/kcms2/article/abstract?v=wOuTVkq58NlItp99DrhPpOKMw2SY2s6SMH_nWVUQUR5PqxI7ltNESStWo-BYzgFIGauKKTdW78geyOWTNgEZg7Qyc6OGapH1c0r19jhjK3jQWzxfaVrCu0QU5YiGV2oK4xWNMfSqVEffOocjDBQ76EMxIBW5kuYsnRCM6Oary-g=&uniplatform=NZKPT (cited 21 July 2024).

[18] Fang, F. (Gabriel), 2017. World Englishes or English as a Lingua Franca: Where does English in China stand?: An ideological negotiation and attitudinal debate of the use and function of English in the Chinese context. English Today. 33(1), 19–24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078415000668

[19] Yu, X., Liu, C., 2022. Teaching English as a lingua franca in China: Hindrances and prospects. English Today. 38(3), 185–193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078421000018

[20] Bordia, S., Bordia, P., 2015. Employees' willingness to adopt a foreign functional language in multilingual organizations: The role of linguistic identity. Journal of International Business Studies. 46(4), 415–428. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.65

[21] Pöchhacker, F., 2022. Introducing interpreting studies, 3rd ed.Routledge: New York, NY, USA. 281 p.

[22] Albl-Mikasa, M., 2013. Developing and Cultivating Expert Interpreter Competence. Interpreters' Newsletter. (18), 17–34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21256/ZHAW-4081

[23] Albl-Mikasa, M., Ehrensberger-Dow M., 2022. Fundamental concepts in translation and interpreting reconsidered in light of ELF. In: da Silva G.D., Radicioni M. (eds.). Recharting Territories: Intradisciplinarity in Translation Studies [Internet]. Universitaire Pers Leuven. pp.75–96. Available from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/j.ctv2q4b064 (cited 29 July 2024).

[24] Albl-Mikasa, M., 2012. Interpreting quality in times of English as a lingua franca (ELF): new variables and requirements. In: Zybatow, L., Petrova, A., Ustaszewski, M. (eds.). Translation Studies: old and new types of translation in theory and practice. Peter Lang Verlag: Frankfurt, German. pp. 267–273.

[25] Chang, C., Wu, M.M., 2014. Non-native English at international conferences: Perspectives from Chinese-English conference interpreters in Taiwan. Interpreting. International Journal of Research and Practice in Interpreting. 16(2), 169–190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.16.2.02cha

[26] Shen, Z., Gao, B., 2023. Public Perceptions of Diplomatic Interpreters in China: A Corpus-driven Approach. International Journal of Chinese and English Translation & Interpreting. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56395/ijceti.v2i1.60

[27] Park, Y., 2022. ‘Your pronunciation is really good': the construction of linguistic identities in ELF interactions among multilingual speakers. International Journal of Multilingualism. 19(4), 583–604. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1781131

[28] Gentile. P., Albl-Mikasa, M., 2017. “Everybody Speaks English Nowadays”. Conference Interpreters' Perception of the Impact of English as a Lingua Franca on a Changing Profession.pdf. The Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication. 10, 53–66. Available from: https://www.cultusjournal.com/files/Archives/Gentile_Albl-Mikasa.pdf (cited 21 July 2024).

[29] Martin Ruano, R., 2014. From suspicion to collaboration: defining new epistemologies of reflexive practice for legal translation and interpreting. The Journal of Specialised Translation. (22), 194–213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2014.370

[30] Hewson, L., 2013. Is English as a Lingua Franca Translation's Defining Moment? The Interpreter and Translator Trainer. 7(2), 257–277. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2013.1079885

[31] Taviano, S., 2013. English as a Lingua Franca and Translation: Implications for Translator and Interpreter Education. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer. 7(2), 155–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2013.10798849

[32] Agost, R., 2015. Translation Studies and the mirage of a lingua franca. Perspectives. 23(2), 249–264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2015.1024695

[33] Tovstiadi, K., 2008. Cultural identity and personal involvement of community interpreters [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Oklahoma: Oklahoma, OK, USA. pp.1–212. Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/11244/318621(cited 25 July 2024).

[34] Morris, R., 2010. Images of the court interpreter: Professional identity, role definition and self-image. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 5(1), 20–40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.5.1.02mor

[35] Wadensjö, C., 2011. Status of interpreters. In: Gambier, Y., van Doorslaer L. (eds.). Handbook of Translation Studies. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Netherlands. pp. 140–150. Available from: https://benjamins.com/online/hts/articles/sta1 (cited 1 Octover 2022).

[36] Yoo, T., 2023. Path-generating moves in professional identity building: marriage migrant community interpreters and their institutional environments in South Korea. Perspectives. 31(3), 395–412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2022.2030376

[37] Setton, R., Liangliang, A.G., 2009. Attitudes to role, status and professional identity in interpreters and translators with Chinese in Shanghai and Taipei. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 4(2), 210–238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.4.2.05set

[38] Guo, Y., 2018. Effects of the interpreter's political awareness on pronoun shifts in political interviews: A perspective of interpersonal meaning. Babel. Revue internationale de la traduction / International Journal of Translation. 64(4), 528–547. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.00053.guo

[39] Yuan, X., 2021. Reconceptualising the interpreter's role: A perspective from social identity theories. FORUM. Revue internationale d'interprétation et de traduction / International Journal of Interpretation and Translation. 19(1), 83–103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/forum.20012.yua

[40] Pym, A., Shlesinger, M., Jettmarova, Z., 2006. Sociocultural aspects of translating and interpreting. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Netherlands. 255 p.

[41] Wang, B., 2023. Evolution of interpreting as a social practice in China during the past four decades. An analysis of Chinese discourse on interpreting through the lens of social practice theory. Interpreting and Society. 3(1), 24–45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/27523810231160680

[42] Sarbin, T.R., 1986. Narrative psychology: the storied nature of human conduct. Prager: New York, NY, USA. 303 p.

[43] Bruner, J., 1991. The Narrative Construction of Reality. Critical Inquiry. 18(1), 1–21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/448619

[44] Barkhuizen, G., 2016. Narrative Approaches to Exploring Language, Identity and Power in Language Teacher Education. RELC Journal. 47(1), 25–42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688216631222

[45] Baker, M., 2007. Translation and conflict: a narrative account. Routledge: London, UK. 203 p.

[46] Bell, J.S., 2002. Narrative Inquiry: More Than Just Telling Stories. TESOL Quarterly. 36(2), 207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3588331

[47] Tipton, R., 2008. Reflexivity and the Social Construction of Identity in Interpreter-mediated Asylum Interviews. The Translator. 14(1), 1–19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2008.10799247

[48] Valdeón, R.A., 2011. On fictional turns, fictionalizing twists and the invention of the Americas. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 6(2), 207–224. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.6.2.06val

[49] Karidakis, M., 2021. Interpreter and Aboriginal Liaison Officer identity construction and positioning. Narrative Inquiry. 31(2), 311–337. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.19090.kar

[50] Ellis, C., Bochner, A.P., 2000. Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as subject. In: Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S.(eds.). Handbook of qualitative research, 2nd ed. SAGE Publications, Inc: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA. pp. 733–768.

[51] Anderson, L., 2006. Analytic Autoethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. 35(4), 373–395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0891241605280449

[52] Gile, D., 1994. Opening up in interpretation studies. In: Snell-Hornby, M., Pöchhacker, F., Kaindl, K. (eds.). Benjamins Translation Library. John Benjamins Publishing Company: Amsterdam, Netherlands. p. 149. Available from: https://benjamins.com/catalog/btl.2.20gil (cited 7 January 2025).

[53] Gile, D., 2018. Research into translation as a specialism: an analysis and recommendations. The Journal of Specialised Translation. (30), 23–39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26034/cm.jostrans.2018.194

[54] Bahadır, Ş., 2005. Moving In-Between: The Interpreter as Ethnographer and the Interpreting-Researcher as Anthropologist. Meta. 49(4), 805–821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/009783ar

[55] Adams, T.E., Holman Jones, S.L., Ellis, C., 2015. Autoethnography. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. 203 p.

[56] Hokkanen, S., 2017. Analyzing personal embodied experiences: Autoethnography, feelings, and fieldwork. Translation & Interpreting. 9(1). Available from: http://www.trans-int.org/index.php/transint/article/view/572 (cited 6 April 2024).

[57] Ayan, I., 2021. Re-thinking Neutrality Through Emotional Labour: The (In)visible Work of Conference Interpreters. TTR. 33(2), 125–146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1077714ar

[58] Voinova, T., 2024. “Who are you standing with?”: cultural (self–re)translation of a Russian-speaking conference immigrant-interpreter in Israel during the war in Ukraine. Multilingua. 43(1), 63–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/multi-2023-0054

[59] Georgakopoulou, A., 2013. Building iterativity into positioning analysis: A practice-based approach to small stories and self. Narrative Inquiry. 23(1), 89–110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.23.1.05geo

[60] Georgakopoulou, A., 2015. Small Stories Research: Methods-Analysis-Outreach. In: De Fina, A., Georgakopoulou, A. (eds.). The Handbook of Narrative Analysis, 1st ed. Wiley: Malden, MA, USA. pp. 255–271. Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118458204.ch13 (cited 2 Feburary 2025).

[61] De Fina, A., 2013. Positioning level 3: Connecting local identity displays to macro social processes. Narrative Inquiry. 23(1), 40–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ni.23.1.03de

[62] Riessman, C.K., 2008. Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage Publications: Los Angeles, LA, USA. 251 p.

[63] Du, Y., Wang, B., 2021. A multi-dimensional analysis of the representation of conference interpreters in the Chinese media. Translation Spaces. 10(2), 306–328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.18011.du

[64] Mason, I., Ren, W., 2012. Power in face-to-face interpreting events. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 7(2), 234–253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.7.2.08mas

[65] Weedon, C., 1997. Feminist practice & poststructuralist theory, 2nd ed. Blackwell Pubcation: Cambridge, UK. 195 p.

[66] Norton, B., 2013. Identity and Language Learning: Extending the Conversation. Multilingual Matters: Bristol, UK. Available from: http://www.degruyter.com/view/books/9781783090563/9781783090563/9781783090563.xml (cited 1 October 2022).

[67] Roy, C., 2002. The problem with definitions, descriptions and the role metaphors of interpreters. In:Franz, P., Miriam, S. (eds.). The interpreting studies reader. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 345–353.

[68] Anderson, R.B.W., 2002. Perspectives on the Role of Interpreter. In: Miriam, S. (eds.). The interpreting studies reader. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 209–217.

[69] Cecilia, W., 2005. Interpreting as interaction. Longman: London, UK. 312 p.

[70] Biagini, M., Boyd, M.S., Monacelli, C., 2017. The changing role of the interpreter: contextualising norms, ethics and quality standards. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group: New York, NY, USA. 264 p.

[71] Guo, T., 2015. Interpreting for the enemy: Chinese interpreters in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1931–1945). Translation Studies. 8(1), 1–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2014.881302

[72] Ren, W., 2020. The evolution of interpreters' perception and application of (codes of) ethics in China since 1949: a sociological and historical perspective. The Translator. 26(3), 274–296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13556509.2020.1832019

[73] Angelelli, C.V., 2009. Minding the Gaps: New directions in Interpreting Studies. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 41–67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.1.1.04ang

[74] Angelelli, C., 2012. Language Policy and Management in Service Domains: Brokering Communication for Linguistic Minorities in the Community. In: Spolsky, B. (eds.). The Cambridge handbook of language policy. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 243–261.

[75] Cho, J., 2017. English Language Ideologies in Korea: Interpreting the Past and Present. Springer Verlag: Cham, Switzerland.

[76] Bourdieu, P., 1977. The economics of linguistic exchanges. Social Science Information. 16(6), 645–668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/053901847701600601

[77] García, A.M., 2014. The interpreter advantage hypothesis: Preliminary data patterns and empirically motivated questions. Translation and Interpreting Studies. 9(2), 219–238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.9.2.04gar

[78] Chen, J., 2007. Strategies for Abating Intercultural Noise in Interpreting. Meta. 52(3), 529–541. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/016737ar

[79] Aguirre Fernández Bravo, E., 2019. The (Self–)Perception of the Interpreter's Role: A Model and an Assessment Tool. Revista Llengua i Dret. (71), 62–72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2436/rld.i71.2019.3258 (in French)

[80] Kroskrity, P.V., 2009. Language ideologies. In: Duranti, A. (eds.). A companion to linguistic anthropology. Blackwell: Meland, MA, USA. pp. 496–517.

[81] Lamaison, P., 1986. From Rules to Strategies: An Interview with Pierre Bourdieu. Cultural Anthropology. 1(1), 110–120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/can.1986.1.1.02a00060

[82] Hoyte–West, A., 2020. The professional status of conference interpreters in the Republic of Ireland: An exploratory study. Translation Studies. 13(2), 183–196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14781700.2020.1745089

[83] Horváth, I., Kálmán, C., 2021. Motivational disposition of translation and interpreting graduates. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer. 15(3), 287–305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399X.2020.1838180

Downloads

How to Cite

Shen, Z., & Gao, B. (2025). Reframing Interpreter’s Identity in an English as a Lingua Franca World: An Autoethnographic Exploration. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(10), 253–266. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i10.11085

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 10 (October 2025): In progress

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Zhourong Shen, Bin Gao

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.