Listening cues and gender stereotypes in interpreter-mediated doctor-patient interaction: a simulation-based study

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Abstract Public service interpreting is an inherently social practice that enhances the accessibility of public services for migrant communities in linguistically diverse societies. Honing in on the social nature of interpreting, the present study focuses on the interpreters’ affiliative behaviour in interaction. Affiliative cues are a significant interactional phenomenon because public service interpreting is often perceived as a caring profession, especially in settings such as healthcare. This trend can be observed in most feminised professions, and it is often associated with existing gender stereotypes. To qualitatively examine the relationship between gender stereotypes and affiliative behaviours in healthcare interpreting, this study contrasts the participants’ perceptions of the interpreters’ affiliative behaviour with observations of the interpreters’ listening cues and explores the relationship between those perceptions and gender stereotypes. The study triangulates three datasets: (1) videorecorded simulated doctor-patient encounters interpreted between Finnish and Spanish, (2) the doctor’s and patients’ responses to a questionnaire, and (3) interpreter interviews. The questionnaire findings show that the patients perceived the female interpreter as more affiliative than the male interpreter. However, the interactional analysis reveals strong similarities in the interpreters’ use of affiliative resources in their role as listeners. The data do not allow to make direct causal claims regarding these results and gender stereotypes. However, the diverging, gendered, evaluations of similar affiliative behaviour identified highlight the need for further enquiry regarding how interpreters and interpreting are perceived and the role of gender in shaping such perceptions.