I don't want to forget that this was the reason a few people mentioned for choosing to come to the Why Bother? workshop. The concept of impartiality is not spoken of in professional sign language interpreter discourse, or - as far as I know - in the Deaf discourse about interpreting. Indeed, the opposite seems to be the case - a distinct preference for partiality through what people talk about as "being an ally".
The piece from Gutmann & Thompson contrasted impartiality with prudence and reciprocity.
The link above on reciprocity refers to mass media, but I think it illuminates face-to-face communication as well. Interpreting is not limited to a two-way interaction: most simply it is TWO 2-way communications. A question may be the "heat" or "coolness" of the medium of the interpreter - does the audience (the intended receiver) disappear or not? To what extent? Is it the same in both directions?
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