‘A Window on the World(ing) of Geopolitics’: The Oligopticon of Interpretation

This paper applies Latour’s oligopticon to simultaneous interpretation, uncovering how its focused, fragmented perspectives shape multilingual communication as a form of geopolitics. Far from being passive carriers, professional language interpreters are actors in the fragile, partial process of worlding geopolitics. The interpreter’s task is one of constant negotiation–bridging micro- and macro-geopolitical worlds while grappling with the limitations of their position as risky configurators of the geopolitical within the oligopticon. Institutional infrastructures of surveillance and control underpin these interpretation practices. Yet the interpreter’s agency is shaped by a network of human and non-human actors, technologies and surveillance, emanating from multiple disconnected sources. These include surveillance to limit infractions of interpretation by enforcing professional standards; respecting client authority; facilitating audience feedback; and ensuring technological oversight, all of which reflect broader power structures in the context of conferences as well as organisational norms.