Interpreting as a part of language planning
A promising opportunity for Breton
The paper opens with a brief overview of the reasons behind the decline of the Breton language in the mid-19th to
early 20th Centuries in order to contextualise on-going revitalisation efforts that began in earnest in the 1980s. The discussion
then turns to a theoretical review of the literature concerning the key role that translation has been shown to play within the
framework of language planning for minority languages within the complementary fields of Polysystems Theory and the Sociology of
Translation, arguing that the related yet considerably under-researched field of interpreting can also make a significant
contribution to language planning and revitalisation by heightening visibility and symbolic prestige. Finally, the paper presents
the results of a limited yet revelatory survey of the main interpreters active in the field in order to shed light on key aspects
of the current state of the emerging phenomenon of Breton language interpreting (including interpreter profiles, training,
directionality, modalities, voluntary vs. paid work, the clientele, etc.) and their implications with a view to gauging its
potential impact for language planning and possible directions for the future.
Article outline
- Introduction
- An overview of the Breton language
- Translation and interpreting as a part of language planning
- The survey
- Conclusions
- Notes
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Bibliography