Acknowledgments This research would not have been possible without the help and kind ness of the interpreters who participated in this study. To them goes my greatest acknowledgement of gratitude for having taken time out of their busy schedules to complete surveys and take part in interviews. I cannot mention them by name, but each will recognize his/her contribution to this work. This book evolves from thoughts and perspectives which I first presented in my Ph.D. dissertation at Stanford University on the analy sis of the social role of interpreters across settings (Angelelli 2001). I am grateful to Dr. Joshua Fishman for his encouragement and for our initial discussions on the importance of measurement in interpreting studies. My dissertation committee, Dr. Guadalupe Valdés (Chair), Dr. Shirley Brice Heath, Dr. Edward Haertel, and Dr. Ray Mc Dermott, offered support and guidance throughout my exploration of the inter preter’s role, bringing together different research paradigms. Although I am ultimately responsible for the final product, these individuals have guided me and made this work stronger. A special acknowledgment goes to Dr. Valdés for serving as an example of scholarly excellence, dedicated to the advancement of social justice in education. Dr. Ed ward Haertel was the single most influential mentor throughout this research. An example of scientific rigor, as well as patience, he went beyond the call of duty, spending endless hours with me discussing quantitative analysis and the construction of IPRI. His gift for simplify ing complex statistical concepts revolutionized my way of approaching statistics. For that, I am forever indebted. During professional meetings, I had the opportunity of discussing early drafts of my work with colleagues. Daniele-Claude Bélanger, Adolfo Gentile, and Roda Roberts were especially helpful in reviewing the items for IPRI. I am grateful for their insights and challenges, which served to strengthen my arguments. The American Translators Association, the World Federation of Translators, and the Monterey Institute of Inter national Studies allowed me to carry out pilot sessions for IPRI. Cindy Roat was instrumental in obtaining names of potential participants for the study in medical settings. Dr. Jean Turner was extremely helpful in reviewing my analyses and interpretation of the data. I appreciate both her support and friendship. I am also grateful to Janice Kezirian, MD for her meticulous reviewing and editing of the manuscript. Her ability to meet tight deadlines while maintaining a sense of humor helped create a positive work environment throughout the writing process. Her support and friendship are gifts I treasure. Special recognition goes to Christian Degueldre to whom I dedicate this book. He is an outstanding interpreter, professor of interpreting, and a loving husband. During the conceptualization and construction of the instrument, he demonstrated an unprecedented degree of tolerance for my challenges of universal beliefs in the field. He has been extremely helpful in verifying data and references, encouraging me throughout the writing of this book. Additionally I would like to thank Isja Conen and Miriam Shlesin ger from John Benjamins for their insightful comments, guidance, and support in the preparation of this manuscript. My hope is that this work and the findings reported here will be of benefit to those concerned with issues of interpreting, and that it will provide them with a different way of looking at the interpreter’s complex role in multilingual societies.
