Tulkin ammatillinen toimijuus koronapandemian työskentelyolosuhteissa

Abstract

This article focuses on the interpreter’s professional agency during the Covid-19 pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021. The pandemic changed the working environment of interpreterswith a rapid switch to remote interpretingonly, i.e., the use of virtual meeting tools such as Teams alongside traditional telephone interpreting, and the development and use of various platforms for remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI).Later interpreters were able to return to face-to-face interpreting but had to wearface masks.This study focuses on the professional agency of interpreters during this period as portrayed in their personal experiences. Research data consist of answers from 48interpreters to an electronic survey carried out in November 2021. Data was analyzed with a theory-driven approach focusing on selected elements of professional agency. The results show how structure restrictsinterpreter’s agency, but elements of professional agency exist in the ways interpreters shape theirworking environment and interpreting processes.