The (re)presentation of interpreters in the Turkish media: a diachronic and cross-setting analysis

The Highlighted Traits of Female Interpreters as Represented in the Media and Scientific Articles

“…How they look, how they wear culturally may prove to be an item for female interpreters in countries like Korea, Türkiye and others. In addition, depending on the political developments, the visibility rate may change, as argued in Diriker's (2022) study. The same-gender advantage, also found in the study is worth noting for women empowerment, providing a voice for the oppressed and a secure outlet for talking on taboo issues.…”

“…As for whether there is a dress code for female interpreters, an experienced freelance conference interpreter E.Tözüm (Tercümenin Görünmez Kuralları, 2013) was quoted as saying no, but she added that the female interpreters must always look for a formal ready made suit, and avoid wearing a low cut shirt/dress or mini skirt as they would not be considered appropriate during an interpreting assignment in a business meeting. Diriker's (2022) most recent data, however, shows that let alone the discourse of female interpreters look, their visibility is highly gone, a fact she attributes possibly to an increasingly masculinized political setting in Türkiye. Very few news instances which contained female interpreters shifted from aesthetics to other issues, mostly religious ones.…”

“…The public recognition of interpreting in Türkiye goes back to the Gulf Crisis in 1991, when the Turkish viewers got the war news from simultaneous interpreting around the clock, whereas the origins of simultaneous interpreting is actually traceable to Nuremberg Trials in 1945. It is known that interpreting, irrespective of the type is most carried out by female professionals in Türkiye, as also reinforced by Diriker (2022). It follows that female scholars who publish articles on interpreting outnumber that of male scholars, which was found to treble between 2008 and 2018 according to a study (Çalık, 2019).…”