Gender-fair language in simultaneous interpreting: how EU interpreters cope with guidelines and innovations

Abstract

Integrating gender-fair language in spoken multilingual settings presents communication challenges such as cross-linguistic constraints. In simultaneous interpreting, the fast-paced and cognitively demanding nature of the task may limit compliance with institutional toolkits for gender fairness and inclusivity. Additionally, when translating into grammatical gender languages, such as Italian and French, more recent non-binary language innovations may encounter resistance in both attitudes and usage. This paper discusses gender-fair translation strategies in conference interpreting through an experimental study on two language pairs (EN>IT; EN>FR) and in-depth retrospective interviews with EU interpreters. After conceptualising gender-fair interpreting as a task involving three overlapping challenges, the study explores key factors –cognitive load, strategic decision-making, ethical dilemmas – that contribute to the gap between interpreters’ positive attitudes and a moderate use of gender-fair language strategies in simultaneous interpreting in EU institutional settings.