Understanding hybridity in the context of remote interpreting

Abstract

Hybridity is an inseparable aspect of remote interpreting. In recent years, demand for remote interpreting services rose due to new technological advancements in videoconferencing, but also due to the global pandemic of Covid-19. Unlike translators, interpreters were greatly affected by its restrictive measures since the previous on-site events had to be either cancelled or at least moved to an online sphere. Interpreters thus had to adapt and interpret from home; a new situation for many. And even though the pandemic does not pose such a threat anymore, many events never returned to big venues and stayed in the online world. This strengthened the position of remote interpreting on the market and that is why it is important to focus on this specific way of interpreting. Hybridity is an important concept to work with to better understand the specifics of remote interpreting. This paper is therefore dedicated to exploring hybridity, its meaning, history, perception, and current views to better understand how all of this translates to remote interpreting services, and to many other hybrid forms of interpreting.