Communicative Actions of Specialists Working with Migrants: Theoretical Foundations and Practices

Lectures and seminars were devoted to the following topics:

1. The objectives of communication with migrants.
2. Speech strategies.
3. Semantics in the process of communication with migrants.
4. The pragmatics of interaction.
5. The practice of interaction.
6. The role of the interpreter in communicating with migrants.
7. Communication with migrants through an interpreter.
8. The practice of interacting with migrants through an interpreter.

The general subject matter touched upon the theory and practice of oral translation, as well as the features of intercultural communication in working with migrants.

Anne Delizee presented an overview of the main trends in modern translation studies. She pointed out that the issues became more diverse due to the changes in the nature of translation activity itself. According to the lecturer, among the most important shifts are the cultural and anthropocentric turns. It was the latter that served as the foundation for the development of a communicative and functional approach to translation/interpretation. It involves the "immersion" of the translator/interpreter in the communicative situation and its analysis - to determine the purpose of the translation/interpretation. This approach allows us to formulate more accurately the tasks solved by interpreters in the framework of oral/consecutive translation in the field of professional communication.

Part of the classes was held in the format of practical seminars. Anne Delizee explained the main difficulties the interpreter faces in the process of consecutive translation when working with migrants in the receiving countries and moreover, provided the listeners with some practical solutions. In order to effectively develop translation skills, the lecturer offered students several scenarios of role-playing situations: “Interpreter-Lawyer-Migrant”, “Interpreter-Police Investigator-Migrant”, “Interpreter -Social Worker-Migrant”; " Interpreter -Doctor-Migrant"; " Interpreter -Officer of the Embassy-Migrant." Each role-playing game was accompanied by discussion, analysis of both language and behavioral errors.