Public service interpreting and the politics of entitlement for new entrants to the United Kingdom

Tipton, R

Abstract

This article examines the function and perception of public service interpreting provision in contemporary Britain against the backdrop of conflict that has emerged in media and political circles as a result of the spiralling cost of such provision. Using an approach based on critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 2000, 2003; Fowler 1991) the article begins by examining a small corpus of media reports in which the twin societal aims of community cohesion and integration are often seen as being hindered by translation and interpreting services. The issue of whether interpreting services play or should play a role in integration and cohesion amidst the ongoing processes of welfare reform in Britain is then examined and contrasted with a broader understanding of welfare that foregrounds the role of public service interpreting in the processes of resettlement and socialisation. The discussion also considers the relationship between public service interpreting, welfare reform and status of language services as a welfare entitlement for new entrants.

Citation

Tipton, R. (2012). Public service interpreting and the politics of entitlement for new entrants to the United Kingdom. Journal of Language and Politics, 11(2), 185-206. https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.11.2.02tip

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Oct 25, 2011
• Journal: Language and Politics
• Print ISSN: 1569-2159
• Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 185-206
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.11.2.02tip
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/jlp.11.2.02tip
• Related Public URLs: http://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/15699862