Tuija T Kinnunen | Tampere University (original) (raw)
Member of the European Society of Translation Studies
Member of The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters
I have worked as a university lecturer in German translation department at the University of Helsinki since 2012. I teach a variety of courses on all levels of translator training (basic, intermediate, and advanced studies). These include courses on professional translation, specialized translation, legal translation, EU translation, authorized translation, and proseminar. Some of these courses are multilingual and are taught in co-operation with teachers and students from other language departments.
In addition to my work as a teacher, I carry out research in the field of legal translation and interpreting. All forms and modes of multilingual legal communication, especially those that have strong societal aspects (migration and language rights are of major interest for me) or those that affect translator and interpreter profession. My Ph.D. thesis investigated the use of translated legal texts as sources of law. I received my doctorate in Translation Studies (German) from the University of Tampere in 2006.
During 2009–2011 I worked as post-doctoral researcher for the Academy of Finland at the University of Tampere. My project explored the ways in which interpreters, lawyers, and other court members co-operate during court proceedings. The project asked how interpreters are taken into account in the organization of the court proceedings and during their actual work in court sessions. Currently I am orientating my research towards the questions of multimodality in the interpreter-mediated court interaction.
Apart from my duties at the university I have participated in many kind of development projects, i.e. as chair of the project group developing the Finnish Special Vocational Qualification for Court Interpreters (National Board of Education). In addition to this, I act as substitute member of the Authorized Translator’s Examination Board.
During the academic year 2015–2016 I acted as a substitute professor for German language and translation at the University of Eastern Finland.
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Papers by Tuija T Kinnunen
This article focuses on the challenges of multilingual court work in Finland. The goal of the art... more This article focuses on the challenges of multilingual court work in Finland. The goal of the article is to describe on the basis of one interpreting event the kind of problems that can be found in the court work regarding the collaboration of two professions: the court interpreters and the legal professionals. The point of departure is to answer the question: how do legal professionals and court interpreters collaborate in the court? First, the article argues for the need of shared expertise and multiprofessional collaboration in the field of legal translating and court interpreting. This claim is justified by a short description of a legal translation, some recent interviews, a survey, and the theory of situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation. Second, the article describes a problematic multilingual session in a Finnish district court on the basis of a transcribed hearing. Finally, the article offers some suggestions for the development of the current situation o...
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2015
This article discusses the training of translators in relation to their accreditation to produce ... more This article discusses the training of translators in relation to their accreditation to produce legally valid translations. A particular case study is taken – the system currently used in Finland. This grants the translator the right to use the title of ‘authorised translator’ and it is supervised by the Authorised Translators’ Examination Board, operating in conjunction with the Finnish National Board of Education. Accreditation is based on either an examination consisting of translation assignments and a test on professional practices, or a higher university degree in translation studies that includes specific courses in authorised translation. The right is granted for one working language pair at a time; in the latter case, for the language pair included in the degree. Finnish universities decide independently on the education given within their curricula. This article discusses both the pros and cons of this kind of system, reflects on the experiences the authors have collected as university lecturers in courses on authorised translation and assessing the students’ translations, and gives examples of implementing the courses. It focuses on the challenges of evaluating the students’ competence within the field of authorised translation and on the authors’ responsibility as teachers in educating qualified translators.
Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen …, 2006
Page 1. Käännös oikeudenkäyntiaineistona Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen näkö... more Page 1. Käännös oikeudenkäyntiaineistona Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen näkökulmasta TAMPEREEN YLIOPISTO AKATEEMINEN VÄITÖSKIRJA Esitetään Tampereen yliopiston humanistisen tiedekunnan ...
This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court inter... more This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court interpreting and discusses the implications of spatial and seating arrangements for interpreter-mediated communication in the courtroom. In addition, it challenges the public belief that interpreting is a solely verbal phenomenon. The data analyzed is video data from a district court criminal hearing in Finland. The article first analyzes the physical surroundings of the interaction space. It then focuses on bodily resources of interaction such as gaze, gestures and head movements as displayed in interaction fragments. The fragments include examples from consecutive as well as whispered interpreting. Finally, the article makes the claim that interpreting is essentially an embodied form of interaction, since the findings provide strong evidence that visibility and audibility play an important role in various phases of the interpreted hearing. Additionally, the article questions the requirements of the standard ISO 13611 (2014).
Trans-kom, 2017
Spatial and Embodied Aspects of Interpreted Interaction in Court This article investigates spa... more Spatial and Embodied Aspects of Interpreted Interaction in Court
This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court interpreting and discusses the implications of spatial and seating arrangements for interpreter-mediated communication in the courtroom. In addition, it challenges the public belief that interpreting is a solely verbal phenomenon. The data analyzed is video data from a district court criminal hearing in Finland. The article first analyzes the physical surroundings of the interaction space. It then focuses on bodily resources of interaction such as gaze, gestures and head movements as displayed in interaction fragments. The fragments include examples from consecutive as well as whispered interpreting. Finally, the article makes the claim that interpreting is essentially an embodied form of interaction, since the findings provide strong evidence that visibility and audibility play an important role in various phases of the interpreted hearing. Additionally, the article questions the requirements of ISO Norm 13611 2014.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2015
Mikko Lehtonen (toim.) Liikkuva maailma. Liike, raja, tieto. Liikkuva maailma –tutkimuksenkehittämisohjelma. Tampereen yliopisto. Tampere: Vastapaino
Kustantajalle lähetetty viimeinen versio. Tutkimuksen lähteenä pitää käyttää julkaistua versiota,... more Kustantajalle lähetetty viimeinen versio. Tutkimuksen lähteenä pitää käyttää julkaistua versiota, josta myös kirjoituksessa käytetyt lähdeviitetiedot löytyvät kokonaisuudessaan.
MikaEl, 2014
(The article is written in Finnish.) Public service interpreting is a practice in which different... more (The article is written in Finnish.) Public service interpreting is a practice in which different agents collaborate in a wide array of communicative situations. At the same time, these heterogeneous situations are regimented by strict institutional, structural, and professional constraints. Thus, agency, i.e. functional ability based on individual identities and cultural models, materialized through collective activities, is a particularly challenging field of inquiry in such settings. This collaborative paper aims at examining agency in public service interpreting from the perspectives of a researcher specialized in the theory of agency, a public service interpreter who is also a researcher, and the head of a public interpreting service agency. Therefore, the goal is to combine theory and practice and bring together different stakeholders’ points of view. Through this critical examination of the notion of agency, the authors aim at identifying a common ground that could function as a basis for a more cooperative model of agency in this context. The paper originates from a panel organized at the Finnish Symposium on Translation and Interpreting Studies held at the University of Tampere in April 2014.
Quality in Interpreting - Widening the Scope, 2013
This paper discusses Justa Holz-Mänttäri's concept of translatorial action from the perspective o... more This paper discusses Justa Holz-Mänttäri's concept of translatorial action from the perspective of today's work research and empirical findings in the field of court interpreting. It is claimed that Holz-Mänttäri's theory reveals a number of problems affecting the quality of court interpreting in Finland. One such problem is the lack of interprofessional cooperation between court interpreters and legal professionals. In addition, there is a lack of shared information regarding each others' professional premises. This argumentation is based on empirical investigations in the context of interpreted court trials in Finland. The data consist of interviews, audio-recorded interpretations, a video, and observations of interpreted trials. The data reveal significant contradictions in the activity system of court interpreters. In total, these conflicting factors result in poor-quality interpreting. The paper concludes that in Finland there is still no generally shared model for court interpreting; and in order to reach sufficient quality, this model should be developed in collaboration of the two professions.
Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere ... more Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere University Press, 73-105. Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere University Press, 73-105.
Werner Kallmeyer, Ewald Reuter & Jürgen F. Schopp (Hrsg.) 2010. Perspektiven auf Kommunikation. Festschrift für Liisa Tiittula. Berlin, Saxa Verlag, 245–256.
Gerichtsdolmetscher -Hilfsmittel der Interaktion oder Akteur in gemeinsamer Tätigkeit?
Translators' Agency, 2010
This article focuses on the challenges of multilingual court work in Finland. The goal of the art... more This article focuses on the challenges of multilingual court work in Finland. The goal of the article is to describe on the basis of one interpreting event the kind of problems that can be found in the court work regarding the collaboration of two professions: the court interpreters and the legal professionals. The point of departure is to answer the question: how do legal professionals and court interpreters collaborate in the court? First, the article argues for the need of shared expertise and multiprofessional collaboration in the field of legal translating and court interpreting. This claim is justified by a short description of a legal translation, some recent interviews, a survey, and the theory of situated learning and legitimate peripheral participation. Second, the article describes a problematic multilingual session in a Finnish district court on the basis of a transcribed hearing. Finally, the article offers some suggestions for the development of the current situation o...
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2015
This article discusses the training of translators in relation to their accreditation to produce ... more This article discusses the training of translators in relation to their accreditation to produce legally valid translations. A particular case study is taken – the system currently used in Finland. This grants the translator the right to use the title of ‘authorised translator’ and it is supervised by the Authorised Translators’ Examination Board, operating in conjunction with the Finnish National Board of Education. Accreditation is based on either an examination consisting of translation assignments and a test on professional practices, or a higher university degree in translation studies that includes specific courses in authorised translation. The right is granted for one working language pair at a time; in the latter case, for the language pair included in the degree. Finnish universities decide independently on the education given within their curricula. This article discusses both the pros and cons of this kind of system, reflects on the experiences the authors have collected as university lecturers in courses on authorised translation and assessing the students’ translations, and gives examples of implementing the courses. It focuses on the challenges of evaluating the students’ competence within the field of authorised translation and on the authors’ responsibility as teachers in educating qualified translators.
Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen …, 2006
Page 1. Käännös oikeudenkäyntiaineistona Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen näkö... more Page 1. Käännös oikeudenkäyntiaineistona Lakitekstien tulkinta oikeuskäsitteiden kääntämisen näkökulmasta TAMPEREEN YLIOPISTO AKATEEMINEN VÄITÖSKIRJA Esitetään Tampereen yliopiston humanistisen tiedekunnan ...
This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court inter... more This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court interpreting and discusses the implications of spatial and seating arrangements for interpreter-mediated communication in the courtroom. In addition, it challenges the public belief that interpreting is a solely verbal phenomenon. The data analyzed is video data from a district court criminal hearing in Finland. The article first analyzes the physical surroundings of the interaction space. It then focuses on bodily resources of interaction such as gaze, gestures and head movements as displayed in interaction fragments. The fragments include examples from consecutive as well as whispered interpreting. Finally, the article makes the claim that interpreting is essentially an embodied form of interaction, since the findings provide strong evidence that visibility and audibility play an important role in various phases of the interpreted hearing. Additionally, the article questions the requirements of the standard ISO 13611 (2014).
Trans-kom, 2017
Spatial and Embodied Aspects of Interpreted Interaction in Court This article investigates spa... more Spatial and Embodied Aspects of Interpreted Interaction in Court
This article investigates spatial and embodied aspects of face-to-face interaction in court interpreting and discusses the implications of spatial and seating arrangements for interpreter-mediated communication in the courtroom. In addition, it challenges the public belief that interpreting is a solely verbal phenomenon. The data analyzed is video data from a district court criminal hearing in Finland. The article first analyzes the physical surroundings of the interaction space. It then focuses on bodily resources of interaction such as gaze, gestures and head movements as displayed in interaction fragments. The fragments include examples from consecutive as well as whispered interpreting. Finally, the article makes the claim that interpreting is essentially an embodied form of interaction, since the findings provide strong evidence that visibility and audibility play an important role in various phases of the interpreted hearing. Additionally, the article questions the requirements of ISO Norm 13611 2014.
The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2015
Mikko Lehtonen (toim.) Liikkuva maailma. Liike, raja, tieto. Liikkuva maailma –tutkimuksenkehittämisohjelma. Tampereen yliopisto. Tampere: Vastapaino
Kustantajalle lähetetty viimeinen versio. Tutkimuksen lähteenä pitää käyttää julkaistua versiota,... more Kustantajalle lähetetty viimeinen versio. Tutkimuksen lähteenä pitää käyttää julkaistua versiota, josta myös kirjoituksessa käytetyt lähdeviitetiedot löytyvät kokonaisuudessaan.
MikaEl, 2014
(The article is written in Finnish.) Public service interpreting is a practice in which different... more (The article is written in Finnish.) Public service interpreting is a practice in which different agents collaborate in a wide array of communicative situations. At the same time, these heterogeneous situations are regimented by strict institutional, structural, and professional constraints. Thus, agency, i.e. functional ability based on individual identities and cultural models, materialized through collective activities, is a particularly challenging field of inquiry in such settings. This collaborative paper aims at examining agency in public service interpreting from the perspectives of a researcher specialized in the theory of agency, a public service interpreter who is also a researcher, and the head of a public interpreting service agency. Therefore, the goal is to combine theory and practice and bring together different stakeholders’ points of view. Through this critical examination of the notion of agency, the authors aim at identifying a common ground that could function as a basis for a more cooperative model of agency in this context. The paper originates from a panel organized at the Finnish Symposium on Translation and Interpreting Studies held at the University of Tampere in April 2014.
Quality in Interpreting - Widening the Scope, 2013
This paper discusses Justa Holz-Mänttäri's concept of translatorial action from the perspective o... more This paper discusses Justa Holz-Mänttäri's concept of translatorial action from the perspective of today's work research and empirical findings in the field of court interpreting. It is claimed that Holz-Mänttäri's theory reveals a number of problems affecting the quality of court interpreting in Finland. One such problem is the lack of interprofessional cooperation between court interpreters and legal professionals. In addition, there is a lack of shared information regarding each others' professional premises. This argumentation is based on empirical investigations in the context of interpreted court trials in Finland. The data consist of interviews, audio-recorded interpretations, a video, and observations of interpreted trials. The data reveal significant contradictions in the activity system of court interpreters. In total, these conflicting factors result in poor-quality interpreting. The paper concludes that in Finland there is still no generally shared model for court interpreting; and in order to reach sufficient quality, this model should be developed in collaboration of the two professions.
Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere ... more Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere University Press, 73-105. Julkaistu osittain muuttuneena teoksessa Koskinen, Kaisa (toim.) 2013. Tulkattu Tampere. Tampere University Press, 73-105.
Werner Kallmeyer, Ewald Reuter & Jürgen F. Schopp (Hrsg.) 2010. Perspektiven auf Kommunikation. Festschrift für Liisa Tiittula. Berlin, Saxa Verlag, 245–256.
Gerichtsdolmetscher -Hilfsmittel der Interaktion oder Akteur in gemeinsamer Tätigkeit?
Translators' Agency, 2010
by Olalla García Becerra, E. Macarena Pradas Macías, Daniel Gile, María Brander de la Iglesia, Martina Behr, Reithofer Karin, Clara Pignataro, silvia velardi, Jan-hendrik Opdenhoff, Tuija T Kinnunen, Encarnación Postigo, María-José Varela Salinas, Parrilla Laura, Miguel Tolosa-Igualada, Bachir Mahyub Rayaa, and Sylvi Rennert
From the early days of interpreting studies, the notion of quality has attracted the interest of ... more From the early days of interpreting studies, the notion of quality has attracted the interest of professionals, trainers and scholars alike. Its elusive nature gave rise to various approaches aimed at figuring out its constituent parts. These efforts have made it possible to understand quality from a multidimensional perspective.
Quality was already a well-established research topic in 2001, when the first international conference devoted entirely to it was held in Almunecar, Spain. Ever since, the field has greatly evolved as research instruments and methods have been refined, not least because globalization has facilitated closer cooperation among scholars. Recent years have witnessed a considerable increase in the number of publications on quality, and the continued activity of both individual scholars and research groups testify to the liveliness of this area of research. In the course of this process, this area has become more interdisciplinary and technically sophisticated, widening its scope to cover new interpreting settings and language combinations.
This volume attempts to provide an overview of the state of the art in interpreting quality. It contains 16 papers selected through a double-blind peer-review process. All contributors took part in the Second International Conference on Interpreting Quality held in Almuñécar in 2011, and the reviews were conducted by a panel of international experts in interpreting studies.
This publication was funded by the Government of Andalusia (project ref. P07-HUM-02730). We would like to thank all authors who submitted papers for review. Special thanks go to the reviewers for their hard work. Finally, we would like to warmly express our gratitude to Angela Collados Ais for her unrelenting endeavour in advancing the research on interpreting quality.
Acting together, contributing together In Finland, TIS scholars and translation and interpreting... more Acting together, contributing together
In Finland, TIS scholars and translation and interpreting practitioners have currently several channels for sharing their thoughts with each other. Firstly, the majority of translation scholars are members in the Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL). Teachers and researchers have a section of their own in this professional association, and the section chair is a member of the SKTL board.
Secondly, an annual symposium is organized jointly by universities that offer translator and interpreter training and by the professional association. Both scholars and practitioners are invited to submit papers, organize joint workshops etc. This series of symposia started in 2003 as an initiative of Ph.D. students.
Thirdly, in social media, the Finnish Translation Studies [Käännöstiede] Facebook group brings together over 1,500 participants interested in discussing and learning about issues related to translating and interpreting. The group was founded in 2009. New publications are announced and actual topics from the media are posted daily and debated there.
As our oldest university programmes for translator training were started over 30 years ago, we no longer face particularly great problems between scholars and practitioners. However, as the professional association includes members with various educational backgrounds and various special fields of occupation, there is always need for more communication. The professional fields of translatorial expertise are not uniform and people’s perceptions of the field vary.
In any case, scholars can help practitioners to find tools for their identity work.
In addition, scholars can help practitioners to identify their expertise and provide them with arguments for communicating about their expertise to their reference groups. As for translators and interpreters, they constantly inform scholars about new developments within the field, offer alternative viewpoints, as well as evaluate the credibility of TIS research.
Kulttuurien kohtaaminen on aikamme suuria haasteita. Monikulttuurisuus tuottaa käytännössä myös m... more Kulttuurien kohtaaminen on aikamme suuria haasteita. Monikulttuurisuus tuottaa käytännössä myös monikielisyyttä. Kielten kohtaaminen synnyttää myös kääntämisen tiloja tai paikkoja. Tulkattu Tampere esittelee tällaisia pysyviä tai hetkellisiä tiloja: oikeussalia, koulua, monikulttuurista työyhteisöä ja seurakuntaa samoin kuin julkisen tilan kielimaisemaa. Tampere toimii kirjaa yhdistävänä teemana, mutta vastaavia tiloja syntyy kaikkialle, missä erikieliset ihmiset kohtaavat.