Claudia V. Angelelli

Professor Claudia V. Angelelli is Chair of Multilingualism and Communication at Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh Campus) and Academic Lead of Engagement in the Global Research Institute of Health, Care and Technologies.  She is also Professor Emerita of Spanish Linguistics at San Diego State University, US; and Visiting Professor at Beijing University of Foreign Studies, China.

Claudia joined HWU in 2013 and has served as Director of Research Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies in Scotland, Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, School of Social Sciences (2021-2025), UK Deputy Director of the Confucius Institute (2014-2016), Co-director of Post-Graduate taught programmes (2016-2019), Chair of LINCS task force on education for doctoral students in languages and intercultural communication and of LINCS task force on Assessment (2014-2015). 

Her research sits at the intersection of Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics and Translation and Interpreting Studies. Professor Angelelli’s work is internationally recognised as seminal in the field e.g. Medical Interpreting and Cross-cultural Communication (Cambridge University Press), Revisiting the Role of the Interpreter (John Benjamins) and Medical Interpreting Explained (Routledge).

She has published over 165 research outputs (academic books, scientific journal articles and book chapters, as sole author and co-author, as well as commissioned reports, and encyclopaedia entries). Claudia has published in Brazilian Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Some of her books have been translated into Arabic, Chinese and Korean and her articles have been cited in many interdisciplinary journals, in addition to T&I and Applied Linguistics ones.

Claudia has been invited to deliver keynote speeches, colloquia and workshops in the following scientific organizations, countries/cities: Argentina (Buenos Aires, Colegio de Traductores Públicos, Córdoba); Australia (Interpreter Association of New South Wales, Macquerie University, University of Melbourne, University of Western Sydney); Belgium (KU Leuven University); Canada (York University, Toronto); China (Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing University of Foreign Studies, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Jinghua, Leshan, Xiamen, Xian, Zhengzhou-Henan, Hong Kong, Taiwan); France (La Sorbonne Paris-Didérot); Germany (Gemersheim, Hamburg); Greece (Igoumenitsa, Thessaloniki); Israel (Tel Aviv); Italy (University of Bologna at Forli, Milano, Association of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice); Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Japan Association for Interpreting Studies, Osaka); Korea (Seoul - Hankuk University of Foreign Studies); Spain (Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Alicante, Barcelona, Carmona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Madrid, Málaga, Universidad Jaume 1, Universidad de Rovira et Virgili-Tarragona); Malaysia (University of Malaysia, Universiti Malaya); South Africa; Thailand (Bangkok); Turkey (Istambul-Bogazici University). United Kingdom (Belfast, Edinburgh, Durham, Glasgow, London, Newcastle, Surrey) United States (American Association of Applied Linguistics - Pittsburgh, California Court Interpreters Association - Newport beach, 34^th National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators Annual Conference - St. Louis, Minnesota, 33^rd International Conference of ALDEEU, Florida, Department of Spanish and Portuguese. Stanford University. CA. US. Tucson-University of Arizona, University of Massachusetts Medical School, School of Public Health, University of North Texas, Gallaudet University. Washington, DC, University of California at Davis, California Healthcare Interpreting Association - San Diego, National Association of Judiciary Interpreters Annual Meeting. Dallas, Texas, Ramapo College-New Jersey, New York University, Orlando: American Translators Association, Kent State University, Ohio State University).

Her articles appears in The Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, The Critical Link, COMET (Communication, Medicine and Ethics), Cuadernos de ALDEEU; European Journal of Applied Linguistics, Interpreting, Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, META, MONTI (Monografias de Traducción e Interpretación), The Translator, TIS (Translation and Interpreting Studies), The International Journal of the Sociology of Language as well as in numerous edited volumes.  

In addition to publishing extensively, Prof. Angelelli has been Principal Investigator in research projects in Brazil, the EU (Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain), Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Claudia was commissioned by The California Endowment and Hablamos Juntos (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) to design the first empirically-driven language proficiency and interpreter readiness tests to be used by hospitals in the US (in Chinese, English, French, Hmong and Spanish).

She also served as World Leader for ISO 13611: Standards on Community Interpreting and she co-authored The California Standards for Health Care Interpreters. Ethical Principles, Protocols, and Guidance on Interpreter Roles and Interventions. 

Prof. Angelelli is Guest Editor of the following journal special issues: The International Journal of the Sociology of Language: Translators and Interpreters: Geographic Displacement and Linguistic Consequences (2011); Translation and Interpreting Studies: The Sociological Turn in Translation and Interpreting (2012); Cuadernos de ALDEEU: Minding the Gaps: Translation and Interpreting Studies in Academia (2013); and Translation and Interpreting Pedagogy in Dialogue with other Disciplines (2014 w/Colina). Prof. Angelelli is co-editor of Researching Translation and Interpreting Studies (2015 w/Baer), Testing and Assessment in Translation and Interpreting Studies (2009 w/Jacobson).

Claudia reviews manuscripts for reputable publishing companies such as Cambridge University Press, John Benjamins, Taylor and Francis, and Routledge. She serves as Editorial Board member for reputable journals such as Interpreting, Interpreting and Society, Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, Translation and Interpreting Studies, The Translator, META, and The Modern Language Journal.

Prof. Angelelli is Past President of the American Translation and Interpreting Studies Association and has served as Director of the American Translators Association for 6 years.  She has extensive experience as freelancer and consultant in translation and interpreting. 

Personal Biography

Claudia is from Argentina. Since she was very young, she was interested in languages and did her primary and secondary school in a bilingual British School in Buenos Aires. She earned her first university degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish/English Legal Translation and Comparative Law from the Universidad Católica Argentina, School of Humanities, Department of Modern Languages. Claudia then moved to California to join the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Spanish Department, where she taught PG courses in Spanish/English legal T&I, as well as content based Spanish courses (in business and legal matters). Between 1994 and 1996, while she was Assistant Professor in the T&I Department, she pursued three Post-graduate degrees in Applied Linguistics: an MA in TESOL, with 2 Post-Graduate Certificates, one in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign language, and one in Language Program Administration (a joint programme between International Business and Applied Linguistics focussing on Teacher Education and Supervision).  

Claudia pursued her doctoral studies in Educational Linguistics at Stanford University with a concentration in Language, Literacy and Culture. She completed her PhD in 2001. While she was studying at Stanford, she was also appointed Lecturer in the Spanish Department (1996-2001), where she taught courses on Language Teaching Practicum, Service learning with Translation and Interpreting, Spanish for International Relations, Business Spanish (at Stanford Business School) and Spanish for Lawyers (at Stanford Law School). In 2001 she was recruited for a tenure position at San Diego State University (SDSU) where she taught PG students, Introduction to Translation and Interpreting, Theory of Translation/Interpreting Studies, Translation, Interpreting and Service Learning, Applied Linguistics for Teachers of Spanish, Spanish Discourse Analysis, Methods in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language and Heritage language, Issues in Spanish-English Bilingualism, and Language Testing. When she left in SDSU in 2013 to take up her Chair position of Multilingualism and Communication at HWU, Claudia was granted the honorary title of Professor Emerita at SDSU.

Accepting Ph.D. Students

Prof. Angelelli supervises PhD students from HWU as well as PhD students from other universities applying as visiting scholars interested in Translation and/or Interpreting Studies (e.g. legal translation, testing and assessment; Professional and non-professional interpreting; interpreting for various settings in which Public Service/Community Interpreting occurs, such as legal/court interpreting, medical/healthcare interpreting, interpreting for the police, interpreting at school, child-language brokering, interpreting for government agencies). She also supervises PhD Ss in areas of Applied Linguistics (specifically in curriculum design, teaching heritage languages, teacher education, and testing) and Sociolinguistics (bilingualism, multilingualism, language and access, language and power, and communication among culturally and linguistically diverse groups and across speech communities through professional and non-professional interpreters).

Prof. Angelelli considers applications from PhD students aligned with her expertise and research interests, whether applicants are internally funded (by HWU scholarships generally available once a year through a competition), or through other sources of funding, or if applicants are self-funded. She considers applications at any time of the year. Her availability to take in new PhD students depends on the number of students she is already supervising. If planning to apply for a PhD, Prof. Angelelli can be contacted regarding questions on draft proposal and research interests as well as to discuss potential sources of funding.

Research interests and expertise: Prof. Angelelli’s research sits at the intersection of Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics and Translation and Interpreting Studies. She works with linguistically and culturally diverse groups, vulnerable populations, as well as with service providers in areas of health, justice, education, law and order and with speakers of Brazilian Portuguese, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. She is interested in access to language and information; interpreting as a situated practice through face-to-face interactions as well as a remote practice; human interlocutors interacting, converging or diverging based on various social factors or languages; how humans interact with language technologies; how new technology interacts with human communication; how social factors such as age, education, ethnicity, gender orientation, nationality, race and socio-economic status impact human interactions. In addition, Claudia also studies second language acquisition and heritage language learning and teaching at schools and higher education institutions, focussing on areas of curriculum design, assessment, development of critical thinking, and linguicism.

Expertise in research methods: mixed methods, quantitative (design of measurement instruments, surveys) and qualitative methods (participant and non-participant observations, focus groups, semi-structured interviews participatory and non-participatory action research) and ethnography of communication.

Disciplinary intersections: Applied Linguistics, Business Studies, Computer Science, Education, Healthcare, Intercultural Communication at the Workplace, Interpreting and Translation Studies, Language studies, Law, Law enforcement, Migration Studies, Medicine, Cognitive Psychology, Psychological Therapies, Sociolinguistics, Sociology of Language.

 

Roles & Responsibilities

• Chair of Multilingualism and Communication, HWU, Edinburgh campus.
• Academic Lead of Engagement at the HWU Global Research Institute of Health, Care and Technologies.
• Global Course Leader for C41CW: Intercultural Communication at the Workplace. Responsible for all course lectures and for 1 marker.
• Course Leader for C41CP: Translation and Interpreting Studies. Responsible for a team of 3 lecturers and markers.
• PDR Reviewer for 2 Associate Professors
• 1^st supervisor for 3 PhD Ss
• 2^nd supervisor for 2 PhD Ss
• Responsible for the design and teaching of 5 Workshops to update Language Teaching Pedagogy in LINCS for Lectures in Spanish and French (UG/PG programmes)

 

Research Groups and Contact Details

Research Group: Centre for Translation & Interpreting Studies in Scotland (primary)

Research Centre for the Transformation of Work (associate)

 

External Positions

• Emeritus Professor of Spanish Linguistics at San Diego State University, California, US.
• Visiting Professor at Beijing University of Foreign Studies, China.

 

Key research words and phrases: access to language, applied linguistics, child language brokering, communication across languages and cultures, face to face interpreting, French, heritage speakers, heritage learners, interpreting studies, interpreter-mediated communication, linguistically and culturally diverse groups, professional and non-professional interpreters, remote interpreting, sociolinguistics, Spanish.