Conference interpreting and English as a lingua franca

This chapter provides an overview of research into the implications the global spread of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has had for conference interpreting over the past decade, during which the subfield of ITELF (interpreting, translation and English as a lingua franca) has evolved. It details the complete list of empirical studies carried out so far and outlines the consequences for central topics in conference interpreting, namely interpreting quality, cognitive demands, interpreting strategies and capacity management, interpreters’ self-concept and interpreter training. It also addresses preliminary insights into how conference interpreting under ELF conditions could be rethought. It concludes with a table summarizing the changes in the parameters and premises that characterize the new paradigm of interpreting input from a majority of non-native English speakers