The interpreter’s professional and metaphorical (in)visibility in fiction: an analysis on Suki Kim’s the interpreter

ABSTRACT

Translation and translators in fiction have attracted increasing attention in the last two decades, paving the way for ‘a fictional turn’ and ‘transfiction’. Within these frameworks, the present study examines a fictional interpreter in Suki Kim’s novel, The Interpreter, to outline its professional and metaphorical implications for the translator’s (in)visibility through examples from the protagonist’s professional and private life. It considers Claudia Angelelli’s and Lawrence Venuti’s notions of the interpreter’s and translator’s invisibility, respectively, to shed light on the protagonist’s portrayal as an invisible interpreter in the novel. It also takes into account equivalence dichotomies and Lori Chamberlain’s gender translation theory to delve into the impact and traces of these theoretical stances on the protagonist’s understanding of her role as an interpreter in society, in her institution and a woman in her family. The analysis results suggest that while society and institutions expect the protagonist to act as an invisible bridge between two parties, different personal experiences in interpreting missions and family relations drive her towards taking some ethical decisions thanks to her professional position, which, in return, gradually increases her visibility in her professional and private life.

KEYWORDS:

• Fictional turn
• transfiction
• interpreter
• translator’s invisibility
• equivalence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Semih Sarıgül

Semih Sarıgül is a translation studies scholar and head of the department for English Translation and Interpreting at Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Turkey. He graduated from the Department of English Translation and Interpreting at Izmir University of Economics. He obtained his MA in Translation and PhD in Translation Studies at Boğaziçi University. His research interests include translation history, translation criticism, ideology in translation and video game localization.