Reflections on the Interpreter’s Status in Michael Frayn’s The Russian Interpreter
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46991/TSTP/2026.6.1.046Keywords:
British students in the Soviet Union, fictional interpreters, interpreting in the Soviet Union, transfiction, 20th century English literatureAbstract
Offering an external and fictional perspective on interpreting in the Soviet Union, this article involves a close reading of Michael Frayn’s prize-winning 1966 novel, The Russian Interpreter. The study focuses on the changing status of Paul Manning, a British postgraduate student in Moscow who is originally called on to provide commercial interpreting services for a visiting British businessman, Gordon Proctor-Gould. However, Manning’s role and remit evolve as his position as an interpreter expands to blend Proctor-Gould’s professional activities with his complicated personal life. After contextualising the necessary background on fictional translators and on Frayn and his novel, this article first foregrounds the method in which Manning was recruited, before examining how the interpreter deals with the blurring of professional and personal spheres. Finally, it profiles an example of a disastrous interpreting performance, noting the implications for Manning’s status as a practitioner.
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