The Critical Link 2

Book excerpt: This volume of selected papers from the second Critical Link conference (Vancouver, 1998) shows a marked evolution in Community Interpreting (CI) since the first Critical Link conference of 1995. In the intervening three years the field has advanced from pioneering to professionalization in response to new social needs created by the influx of immigrants into the developed countries, or by an awakened sensitivity to the rights of those countries’ aboriginal peoples. Most of the papers discuss professionalization in terms of standards, tests and examinations; training; accreditation; and professional organizations that establish and administer professional standards. The collection reveals similar concerns about these issues throughout the world and a global focus on ‘standards’. With a Foreword by Brian Harris.