Gatekeepers as a shaping force in tv interpreting

TV interpreting has recently been considered as significantly different from conference interpreting. TV interpreting is indeed an institutional practice with its own norms and constraints. As a consequence of the institutionalization of the process, TV interpreting has turned into one of the realms where a gatekeeping process might be exercised. However, little attention has been devoted to the gatekeepers shaping the field of TV interpreting. This thesis sets out to reveal the gates behind TV interpreting. Interviews conducted with interpreters, a cameraman, editors-in-chief, and correspondents were analyzed using a comprehensive theoretical framework defining gatekeeping and compared against real instances of TV interpreting. As a result of the analysis of the findings, it is suggested that the policies of media outlets covering translation and language policy, the perception of the interpreters regarding the profession and their role, and their work conditions all function as gatekeepers. Therefore, the target text has to go through all those gates to be able to reach the audience. The hypothesis also points to the interediting (interpreting and editing) nature of TV interpreting. Key Words: TV interpeting, transediting, gatekeeping, interpreter, ethos.