Unity in diversity: mapping healthcare interpreting studies (2007-2017)

This paper intends to examine the evolution of healthcare interpreting studies published in SSCI and A&HCI journals between 2007 and 2017. A total of 40 journal articles have been selected from 23 SSCI or A&HCI journals, covering journals on translation and interpreting, linguistics and communication as well as healthcare studies. Thematically, articles selected fall in such four major types as socio-political background, healthcare interpreting practice, and education and training. Methodologically, based on an existing framework of classification, articles selected are grouped into four categories, namely, pure empirical research, pro-empirical research, pro-non-empirical research, and pure non-empirical research. Built on such a characterization of past studies on healthcare interpreting, this paper serves as a general map of relevant studies of this sub-field in the past decade and attempts to provide recommendations on research directions in the future. Such directions include the integration and alignment between the T & I community and the healthcare research community in the study of healthcare interpreting, the development of inter-disciplinary perspectives on the socio-political background of healthcare interpreting, and the expansion of research that is specialty-based, informed and driven.