Interpersonal Power: A Social Psychological Perspective

Abstract

Interpreters are essential in facilitating communication between people who speak different languages in a variety of settings. However, social psychology research has paid little attention to their role in shaping interpersonal power dynamics. The present paper aims at examining the interpreter’s role in interpersonal power in intercultural interaction from the social psychological perspective in accordance with French’s (1956, pp.183-184) and Raven’s (1965) typologies of the six bases of social power as well as Raven’s (1992, as cited in Raven, 2008) Power/Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence. The researcher found that interpreters can have different types of power that can greatly influence their role in intercultural interactions. They can exercise five types of power: expert, referent, legitimate, reward, and coercive. It seems that the only type of power which they do not ideally exercise is the informational. It is also worth noting that the interpreter may exercise these types of power simultaneously. This means that exercising one type of power does not exclude the remaining types of power. By using the Power/Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence, interpreters can address power imbalance, use appropriate power strategies, evaluate their effectiveness, and learn from past experiences to improve future interpreting. The importance of ethical conduct and cultural sensitivity in interpreting cannot be overstated as improper use of power can impede communication and decision-making.