Interpretare per i bambini e gli adolescenti: uno studio di caso sul campo estivo Barretstown

The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the specific features of interpreting for children in a specific setting – Barretstown camp, an international therapeutic and recreational facility for children affected by serious illness – as opposed to interpreting for adults or in any other more “conventional” setting. This dissertation is based on a case study and focuses on the experiences and performances of volunteer interpreters who were employed by Barretstown in the last few years. The case study was carried out in two subsequent steps: first a series of interviews was conducted with volunteer interpreters focusing on their experience as interpreters at Barretstown; secondly some interpreted interactions recorded at Barretstown during one of its summer sessions were analysed and discussed. The results of the case study have highlighted a number of distinctive features that characterize interpreting in this specific setting: the importance attached by interpreters to conveying emotions and to the accessibility of the message by the target audience, achieved in this context by using non-verbal cues and children’s cultural references. The first chapter of this dissertation provides background information about Barretstown camp and its interpreting service. The second chapter presents an overview of the literature about interpreting for children in healthcare/pediatric settings. The third chapter reports the results of a series of interviews conducted by the researcher, that are discussed by topic: interpreters’ awareness of their role at Barretstown, training provided by the facility and individual preparation, interpreters’ perception of their interpreting activity, main difficulties they face. The fourth and final chapter provides an analysis of the recordings of interpreted interactions collected by the researcher at Barretstown. It focuses on the recurrent practices in the activity of the interpreters, examples of which are provided.