JHASS

Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.04.004

Mapping a Maturing Field: A Thematic Review of New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies

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Caixia Ke, Jing Ning^*

School of Foreign Studies, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, China.

*Corresponding author: Jing Ning

Published: April 17,2026

Abstract

This review examines New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies, edited by Raquel Lázaro Gutiérrez and Cristina Álvaro Aranda and published as part of the New Frontiers in Translation Studies series. The volume brings together an introduction and eight substantive chapters addressing discourse and cognition, gender, cultural competence, interpreter education, national and institutional contexts, end-of-life communication, and speech-to-text technology. This review evaluates the collection chapter by chapter while also considering its broader contribution to healthcare interpreting studies. It argues that the book’s principal achievement lies in moving the field beyond narrow transfer-based models and toward a richer understanding of healthcare interpreters as institutionally embedded, socially situated, and emotionally affected professionals. It also highlights the volume’s methodological diversity, ranging from discourse analysis and literature review to surveys, interviews, focus groups, and curriculum mapping. While noting some unevenness across chapters and a geographically limited case selection, the review concludes that the collection makes a timely and valuable contribution to current debates on training, professionalization, and the changing scope of empirical research in healthcare interpreting.

Keywords

Healthcare interpreting; public service interpreting; interpreter education; translation studies; book review

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How to cite this paper

Mapping a Maturing Field: A Thematic Review of New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies

How to cite this paper: Caixia Ke, Jing Ning. (2026) Mapping a Maturing Field: A Thematic Review of New Trends in Healthcare Interpreting Studies. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 10(4), 422-426.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2026.04.004