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13Volume 7 Issue 1, 2023, pp. 101-115
https://rudn.tlcjournal.org
Original Research
Digital politeness in online translator and interpreter training: The lessons of the pandemic
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
Irina V. Tivyaeva Moscow City University, Russia tivyaeva@yandex.ru
Diana R. Abdulmianova Moscow City University, Russia diana-gazieva@mail.ru
Article history Received October 13, 2022 | Revised February 25, 2023 | Accepted March 6, 2023
Conflicts of interest The authors declared no conflicts of interest
Research funding No funding was reported for this research
doi 10.22363/2521-442X-2023-7-1-101-115
For citation Tivyaeva, I. V., & Abdulmianova, D. R. (2023). Digital politeness in online translator and interpreter training: The lessons of the pandemic. Training, Language and Culture, 7(1), 101-115.
The paper focuses on the concept of digital politeness as a component of a language services provider competence framework aimed at preparing undergraduate and graduate students of Linguistics and Translation Studies for effective performance in a digital professional environment. The study attempts to define the concept of digital politeness as applied to translator and interpreter training, make an inventory of digital politeness skills relevant to translator and interpreter competence, monitor students' progress in digital politeness during the online and hybrid training periods and assess the professional outcome of introducing relevant training into undergraduate and graduate programmes in Linguistics and Translation studies. Data for this study were collected using student surveys, the number of respondents totalling 80 individuals aged between 19 and 25. The respondents were offered questionnaires on their digital behaviour covering three periods: the unplanned transition to distance learning in 2020, the pre-planned delivery of all courses in online mode in 2021, and the return to in-class training in 2022. The accumulated data were processed using a single analysis algorithm, which allowed identifying dominant trends in the dynamics of student perception of digital politeness over the three periods under consideration. The findings yield results suggestive of increased student awareness of the need to improve their online academic interaction experience and maintain best digital interaction practices when delivering university degree programmes in distance mode. The survey also demonstrated that students see the digital politeness competence as a way to benefit professionally in their future career.
KEYWORDS: Covid-19, distance learning, digital politeness, translator and interpreter training, experiment
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0), which allows its unrestricted use for non-commercial purposes, subject to attribution. The material can be shared/adapted for non-commercial purposes if you give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
1. INTRODUCTION
As digital practices keep penetrating all spheres of professional, social and personal activities, educators around the globe do their best to be part of the digital transformation trend, bringing latest technologies and methods to their classrooms. In different education levels and training programmes these changes were implemented at an uneven pace, technology and science
classes generally showing more technologically advanced teaching techniques and approaches. The Covid-19 pandemic followed by strict lockdowns and restrictions in many countries caused a great number of academic events and activities to shift to online mode. This change could not but affect the system of education that faced unprecedented challenges involving an emergency transfer of courses to online mode.
© Irina V. Tivyaeva, Diana R. Abdulmianova 2023
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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In most countries, the education system already was on its way to virtualisation and digitalisation before the outbreak of Covid-19, so the shift to online learning was not exactly out of the blue. However, the transfer to distance mode, in most cases urgent and unexpected, while remaining a technical, methodological, psychological and emotional challenge to both students and educators, brought to light and provided practical basis for new didactic ideas, concepts and approaches that might have been conceptualised in earlier research but until recently lacked empirical grounding.
At present, there is extensive research on e-learning practices and methods. A number of scholars discuss general issues, such as student motivation and adaptation, course design, active learning techniques, gamifi-cation, learning environments, and teacher performance (see, e.g., Buckley & Doyle, 2016; Harandi, 2015; Lumpkin, 2003; Costa et al., 2020; Richardson & Mishra, 2018; Urh et al., 2015; Gama, 2020; Makarova et al., 2017; Suleimanova et al., 2020; Tareva & Tarev, 2018), while others focus on area-specific problems related to teaching foreign languages and translator training in online mode (see, e.g., Gavrilyuk et al., 2019; Tareva & Polushkina, 2021; Akimova et al., 2015; Ivanova & Tivyaeva, 2015; Berdichevskiy et al., 2019; Li et al., 2020; Vieira, 2015; Tivyaeva & Vodyanitskaya, 2021; Tivyaeva, 2021).
A constantly growing body of literature is currently emerging that investigates effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the education system both globally and locally, in general perspective and in application to specific disciplines (see, e.g., Jogezai et al., 2021; Engelhardt et al., 2021; Mishra et al., 2020; Qazi et al., 2021; Abuhammad, 2020). Scholars explore a variety of effects the pandemic produced on education and parties to the education process. Most researchers admit that the emergency shift to online teaching did not go smoothly in all cases, but despite all challenges it also brought about a number of positive changes. Technical difficulties experienced by many tutors and students as well as social and psychological inconveniences were compensated with unprecedented learning and self-development opportunities for students and more freedom in managing one's time, resources and learning style.
Research has consistently shown that much time and teaching effort are invested in developing students' digital skills, which involves training them for working in a digital professional environment, mastering digital devices, online tools, services, and software. However, while digital literacy is of high importance in any indus-
try, in translation and interpreting a perfect command of digital devices and technologies is not enough for successful interaction with employers and colleagues. Effective communication in a professional virtual environment depends not only on how well a translator- or interpreter-in-training knows basic principles of working online, organising work on different devices, and applying innovative technologies and tools. Whether language workers are involved in translation or interpreting projects, in the course of their work they interact with dozens of people - clients, managers, speakers, authors, editors, revisers, reviewers, proofreaders, etc. As the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in social restrictions and transformed the regular workflow affecting all branches of the language services industry, professional communication accompanying translation and interpreting has moved to online mode along with most events and projects. Language-service providers' exodus to virtual workspace gathering momentum, the relevance of successful interpersonal communication in digital environments could hardly be underestimated.
It should be mentioned that the need to develop a language worker's digital competence required for providing professional services at the highest standard has already been voiced by the translation studies research community, at that, most studies focus on the technological and data processing potential of digital environments as a factor increasing overall quality and performance (see, e.g., Suleimanova et al., 2019; Suleimanova et al., 2020; Malakhova & Bokova, 2020).
Those ideas were also supported by language industry regulations used in different parts of the globe. For instance, the European Master's in Translation Competence Framework, aimed at specifying a common set of learning outcomes for graduates of master's degree programmes in translation studies, includes the Technology competence that covers all the knowledge and skills used to implement present and future translation technologies within the translation process (EMT, 2022). The Russian occupational profile for translators also lists technological skills as obligatory components of translator competence required for performing different language-related services (Translation Service Provider, 2021).
However, post-Covid industry and training cases demonstrate that the application scope of digital technologies among language workers is wider than the regular workflow process. Specialised computer software and CAT-tools are commonly used by individual translators and interpreters, translation companies and in-
Digital politeness in online translator and interpreter training: The lessons of the pandemic
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
house translation departments to produce target language content and control the translation process. The online work mode imposed by pandemic realities also digitalised all associated activities, increasing their role in the overall project success. The ability to communicate effectively in a digital professional environment turned out to be of crucial importance both to translators and interpreters, the latter having to adapt to new work formats - distance interpreting via cloud-based and hybrid remote simultaneous interpreting platforms and video conferencing applications, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, etc.
Effective interpersonal skills are recognised as a key factor contributing to professional success. European Master's in Translation Competence Framework also lists the Personal and Interpersonal competence as part of the basic translator and interpreter training standard, defining this competence area as all the generic skills, often referred to as 'soft skills' that enhance graduate adaptability and employability (EMT, 2022). However, the coronavirus-driven emergency shift to distance mode of working and teaching makes it difficult to rely on the conventional manner of applying soft skills, as both the translation workflow and associated interpersonal communications have also moved to virtual workspace. New digital realities require for a new professional interaction protocol. This paper reports on an attempt to delineate digital politeness skills relevant to translator and interpreter competence and introduce relevant training into undergraduate and graduate programmes in Linguistics and Translation Studies delivered online in the course of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years; in hybrid /offline mode in the course of 2021-2022 academic year.
2. MATERIAL AND METHODS
2.1. Student body and course delivery method
The article reports on a case study involving students at Moscow City University enrolled in the Linguistics undergraduate programme and the Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication graduate programme initially designed to be delivered offline but transferred to distance and hybrid modes due to restrictions imposed by the Russian authorities as part of measures against the spread of Covid-19.
During the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years training was provided according to the following schedule: fall semester 2019-2020 - courses delivered in class; spring semester 2019-2020 and fall semester of 2020-2021 - courses delivered online, spring semester
2020-2021 - courses delivered in hybrid mode, theoretical instruction remaining in the virtual learning space, practical classes taught offline; fall semester of
2021-2022 - courses delivered in hybrid mode, spring semester of 2021-2022 - courses delivered offline. Three courses were examined: 'General Translation Theory', 'Translation of Political Texts' (both delivered to second-year bachelor's degree students, n=38) and 'Theoretical Aspects of Translation' (first-year master's degree students, n=13).
The technical basis for e-learning was provided by the Microsoft Teams platform which allowed engagement in academic communication under conditions similar to offline face-to-face interaction. Classes were held in accordance with the regular schedule, synchronous participation in all activities being supported by the Microsoft Teams platform.
As the concept of digital politeness in its application to translators and interpreters is largely under-researched and no consistent approach has yet been proposed to explore the area, in this work our primary goals were as follows: 1) define the concept of digital politeness and describe its main parameters related to translator and interpreter training, 2) identify key components of digital politeness as applied to translation and interpreting services, 3) observe students' progress in digital politeness during the online and hybrid training period, 4) interpret obtained observation records in light of the student progress in different periods; 5) plan and conduct an experimental research aimed at identifying the principles of digital politeness.
As this study is one of the first steps in exploring professional discourse politeness in hybrid communication, its main focus is on designating a new problematic research area and raising both theoretical and practical questions. Professional community and student observation seems to be an adequate method for achieving the goal at this stage (and also in line with related research as described in Tivyaeva and Vodyanitskaya (2021) that is based on discussions with interviewees and survey data), while future research paradigm embracing issues related to effective professional communication in digital workspace will also need to elaborate a transparent research procedure relying on a consistent algorithm.
2.2. Research design
To address the goals set out in this paper, experimental research was performed, its focus being on identifying the principles of digital politeness that have
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mostly been formed within distance learning framework during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as their development after the gradual transition to a blended learning format (a combination of offline and online formats where students interact with a professor through both a physical classroom and an online platform). The research relies on data obtained in the course of student surveys. Further, the experimental data were processed by statistical methods which allowed us to come up with additional arguments supporting our conclusions.
The crucial objective of the research was to assess the validity of the results obtained. The validity and quality of the results were ensured by the adequacy of the selected methods to the goals and objectives of the research, the representativeness of the sample as well as the advantages of statistical methods of data analysis as described in Gazieva (2013).
We maintain that it is essential to conduct an experiment to verify the specified principles of digital politeness as experimental data provide solid foundation for reliable conclusions.
2.3. Working group
80 respondents aged from 19 to 25 years voluntarily took part in the experiment. The respondents were students working towards their bachelor's and master's degrees at the Department of Linguistics and Translation Studies, Institute of Foreign Languages, Moscow City University. The respondents were selected arbitrarily. The study involved 2nd to 4th year bachelor's degree students as well as 1st to 2nd year master's degree students. The principal parameter for the selection of respondents was direct involvement in distance learning in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Figure 1. Number of respondents in the experimental group
2.4. Data collection
The experiment involved questionnaires with relevant data about the respondents and their studies during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The questionnaires offered to the students included assignments formulated in their native language. Respondents had to describe their 'digital' behaviour when collaborating with professors and classmates by choosing the most appropriate option for their actions from the proposed list. The questionnaire covered three periods: year 2020 - the period of a sharp transition to the distance learning format, year 2021 - the planned transition to the distance learning format and year 2022 - the exit from the distance learning format.
2.5. Experimental process
The experiment was performed with Russian-speaking students both individually and in class. The survey was conducted online; potential survey participants were sent Google Forms links to the questionnaires. The respondents were asked to tick an appropriate answer option for each year. In addition, the respondents were asked to make a comment in the special 'Other' field if none of the presented options met their needs. The time to complete the questionnaire was not limited. The 'Answer' field had to be filled in. The respondents were asked to point out the course of the study in a separate column to identify the balance of the sample by age and social parameters.
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
3. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
In this study we draw on professional discourse, digital communication and politeness theories to explore how the post-Covid context shapes interpersonal communication in digital work environments and how relevant digital politeness skills can be developed in undergraduate and graduate students majoring in Linguistics and Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication respectively.
At present, the concept of digital politeness has not yet entered the discourse of the translation studies research community mainly because the preconditions for its emergence were not so obvious before the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic that caused a major transfer of all professional activities to online mode. In this study digital politeness is defined as a set of guidelines regulating the choice of language forms and communication strategies that are appropriate for a specific professional situation within the virtual work environment. It may be regarded as close to netiquette referring to 'the rules for the proper and appropriate way to communicate using an electronic device or activities online' (Brusco, 2011, p. 279), being different in (1) the scope covering only professional contexts, (2) competence required to be able to abide by some regulations, (3) digitalisation of all associated processes, (4) strategic relevance to successful professional performance.
Delong (2014) reveals that digital politeness skills are part of professional digital competence and do not deal with general issues related to online communication such as choice of the medium, response time, privacy, etc.
Digital politeness is a property of professional interaction taking place in virtual workspace. It is different from daily communication and netiquette in terms of communication goals related strictly to professional tasks and contextual factors conditioned by digital work environments.
As Hu and Ran (2021) note, politeness in professional contexts is a research avenue that arouses much academic interest but is currently underexplored. Various aspects of applying politeness in professional settings have been under scrutiny in a number of recent studies (see, e.g., Mapson, 2020; Lauricella et al., 2020; Aase, 2010; Siddoo et al., 2019). Politeness among interpreters has been analysed in terms of approaches to its representation in interpreting and translation, however, what rules interpreters and translators should abide by for successful interaction in a digital workspace remains to be investigated. Politeness in digital
contexts was approached by Flores-Salgado and Castineira-Benitez (2018), but the research scope was limited to WhatsApp discourse and did not extend to include professional settings.
In this paper, we will rely on community discussions and student observation results to formulate basic principles of digital politeness for language services providers and students majoring in interpreting and translation studies. As in contemporary literature, the understanding of politeness goes beyond language use, the following parameters will be taken into consideration in addition to verbal means of expressing politeness and relevant discourse strategies: visual and audio effects, timing, technology competence, and digital behaviour.
4. STUDY AND RESULTS
The experimental data accumulated at all stages of the experiment were processed employing a single analysis algorithm with the systematisation of the responses, statistical data processing and interpretation of the identified dominant trends. To represent the possibilities of applying this algorithm to the analysis of the experimental data obtained, a detailed analysis of all experimental situations is given below. The empirical plan of the research reflects the communication features in the digital space of students at the Institute of Foreign Languages of Moscow City University.
The analysis of experimental data on the first question (Figure 2) regarding an online meeting connection revealed that 58% of students joined an online meeting in advance in 2020, 63% of students - in 2021 and 78% of students - in 2022. In 2020, 18% of students connected minute by minute, 33% of students - in 2021 and 2022 reflectively. According to the analysis of experimental data obtained, only a small number of respondents, namely, 4% of students - in 2020, 5% of students - in 2021 and 9% of them in 2022 connected to an online meeting within 5 minutes after the start. This fact is likely to indicate a positive trend of digital politeness in relation to timely connection to an online meeting which undoubtedly has a positive effect on the learning process and ensures effective learning. We should take into account the fact that about 2% - 5% of students tended not to join a meeting at the time prescribed by their class schedule which apparently highlighted the lack of 'digital' etiquette patterns.
A survey of students about camera operation during their response (Figure 3) yielded positive results. It was noted that the vast majority of respondents had
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their camera on exceptionally for tests and exams -64% (2020), 74% (2021) and 73% (2022) accordingly which was probably due to both unwillingness to connect and lack of technical possibility or slow Internet connection and weak Wi-Fi signals. Some students in the 'Other' field associated having their camera on at their professor's request and initiative. According to the survey results, 29% (2020), 21% (2021) and 23% (2022) of students turned their camera on while answering their task. The figures prove that camera-on mode indicates the desire of students to get involved in the learning process as well as polite 'digital' behaviour.
The results of the experimental data obtained on the third question (Figure 4) regarding compliance with the rules of etiquette during an online meeting highlighted a high degree of digital politeness across differ-
ent periods of distance learning. The vast majority of respondents tended to greet the professor and classmates when they joined a meeting as well as saying goodbye when disconnected. This percentage of students averaged 63% - 64%. Almost half as many, particularly, 31% (2020), 35% (2021) and 33% (2022) of students welcomed the professor teaching the class and their classmates only after someone else had done it. This behaviour pattern emphasises a low level of etiquette used to establish and terminate contact and maintain good relations with interlocutors. A small percentage of students (2% - 3%) did not welcome either the professor or classmates because of coming late to an online meeting. Statistics showed that the same small percentage of respondents (2% - 5%) did not say goodbye when disconnected.
78%
I connect a few minutes I connect minute by minute I connect within 5 minutes I connect when I find it before the start after the start necessary
■ 2020 «2021 2022
Figure 2. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on online meeting connection (Question 1)
1 have my camera on only I have my camera on during I never have my camera on for tests and exams response for technical reasons
■ 2020 «2021 2022
Figure 3. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on camera operation during response (Question 2) 106 Training, Language and Culture
Digital politeness in online translator and interpreter training: The lessons of the pandemic
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
Figure 4. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on etiquette rules compliance (Question 3)
The results of experimental data on Question 4 (Figure 5) concerning profile design within the academic format revealed that most of the respondents, mainly over time 69% (2020), 79% (2021, 2022) students, created a profile in line with the academic style which, evidentially, determined a high level of 'digital' etiquette. In case it was not possible to have their camera on, the profile photo was no less important. As for signing up their names - undoubtedly, it should be a full name, not a nickname in educational discourse. So, the image of a participant in the educational process is one of the most relevant aspects in the distance education space.
The results related to external sounds or people in the frame during an online meeting (Figure 6) showed that 89% - 91% of students adhered to the patterns of politeness in the digital communication framework since they turned notifications off in the phone and chose the most suitable (e.g., quiet) room. Only 9% -11% of respondents noted background noise nearby. It apparently displays the concept of 'digital politeness'. The online meeting participants kept their camera and microphone turned off and had them on during the discussion in order not to disturb and visually distract their colleagues.
The results of experimental data (Figure 7) outlined a favourable trend in the context of materials presentation within the university corporate style, specifically, in 2020 - 55%, in 2021 - 61%, in 2022 - 64% of students felt very positive about their university corporate image and submitted reporting materials in the given format which is likely to reflect 'digital politeness' in the educational discourse framework. The third part of the respondents did not fully demonstrate 'digital' etiquette since they did not present all the materials de-
signed in the university corporate style. It should be noted that the corporate style when designed study deliverables emphasises the team spirit of professors and students. The corporate style is supposed to be an integral part of the corporate culture due to which the positive image of the university is formed, therefore its role in the life of the university remains significant.
The analysis of experimental data (Figure 8) about duplication the materials (presentation, report, etc.) in case of any technical malfunctions during an onlinemeeting revealed a proportional division of respondents' responses between all the proposed options. A significant number of respondents (26% - 30% - 34%) always had backup copies of the submitted materials, others (26% - 28% -25%) selectively duplicated their materials. Some of them (19% - 21% - 21%) duplicated only at their professor's request, and others (29% -21% - 20%) did not actually think about it. This indicates that the respondents do not fully understand the 'digital' etiquette patterns since a smaller part of them make backups and, thus, cannot protect themselves and their colleagues from the loss of necessary data.
The research results (Figure 9) related to adherence to the time limit during response uncovered that the number of students who kept track of the time limit and answered briefly and to the point rocketed upward with each subsequent year (70% - 76% - 80%). Indeed, this fact testifies 'digital politeness' towards professors and colleagues. Still, there was a small group of respondents (16% - 14% - 11%) who stopped after a remark had been made to them. It should also be outlined that there was an upward march among respondents (14% -10% - 9%) who noted the fact of 'blurring' the lines during online learning.
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69%
79% 79%
5% 7% 10% no/ _ 19% 11% 10%
ö/o 4o/o 2%
I have an academic style I have a photo where the I have a picture instead of I have initials instead of photo user's face is not clearly my photo my photo
visible
■ 2020 «2021 ■ 2022
Figure 5. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on profile design within the academic format (Question 4)
12020 И2021 2022
Figure 6. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on extraneous sounds (people) in the frame (Question 5)
61% 64%
35% 36% 34%
10%
3% 3%
I demonstrate materials within the I do not demonstrate all the materials I have no idea about my university university corporate style designed in the university corporate corporate image
style
■ 2020 «2021 «2022
Figure 7. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on presentation materials within the university corporate
style (Question 6)
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
Figure 8. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on duplication of the materials (presentation, report) in case of any technical malfunctions during an online meeting (Question 7)
Figure 9. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on adherence to the time limit during response
(Question 8)
Figure 10. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on submission of required information (Question 9)
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In the statistics (Figure 10) concerning submission the requested information without a repeated question showed that slightly less than half of the respondents (44% - 36% - 34%) listened attentively to the answers of their classmates and the professor's questions and responded promptly. Some students (39% - 53% - 53%) admitted that they got periodically distracted and at the same time declared that they were easily guided by keywords and provided the correct answer within the given timeframe. 15% - 8% - 14% of respondents noted that they tended to get distracted and 'fall out' of what was being discussed at that moment due to their individual characteristics linked with concentration of attention. A small percentage of respondents (3% - 45 - 0%) asked for the requested information in order to play for time, which contradicted the ethical communication patterns.
The analysis of the data obtained (Figure 11) in terms of the dialogue in a distance format and the rules of etiquette found that the vast majority of respondents (63% - 64% - 68%) with each subsequent year initiated a dialogue after completing the previous one employing the functions provided by the platforms, for instance, 'raising hands' which made it possible for anyone present at an online meeting to express their desire to speak out observing communication rules. Fewer respondents (38% - 35% - 33%) were active listeners rather than active interlocutors. 2% of them admitted the fact that they were constantly interrupting the speaker, which is obviously is inconsistent with ethical standards both in real and virtual communication.
The results of the experimental data obtained (Figure 12) related to the issue of digital literacy, namely, compliance with the norms of spelling and punctuation during an online meeting disclosed that the majority of
students (94% - 93% - 94%) recognised the fact of adherence to all norms and rules of spelling and punctuation (spelling of names with capital letters, absence of abbreviations, use of reduced forms of words, etc.). A small number of students (2% - 5%) indicated that on an occasional basis they wrote names with a lowercase letter and shortened words for a quick information transfer. They also declared that they abided by all of the norms if the meeting was recorded or did not attach any importance to online communication rules.
The data obtained (Figure 13) concerning the behaviour in the frame during an online meeting revealed that half of the respondents (48% - 41% - 41%) did not move with their camera on, thereby providing high-quality video image and sound transmission. 31% -34% - 36% of students with each subsequent year altered their attitude to 'digital' behaviour during an online meeting and did not leave the frame if the camera was on. A small number of respondents (15% - 19% -14%) tried to keep other people out of the frame during an online meeting. 6% - 6% - 9% of students tried to make visual contact and not to lose sight. The above-described 'digital' behaviour indicates an average level of 'digital politeness'.
The results of the experimental research (Figure 14) referring to the background and appearance choice showed that the majority of students (44% - 43% -45%) preferred the most neutral background, 24% -25% - 25% of students chose clothes that would correspond both to the meeting place and the number of participants. 21% - 19% - 18% of students did not attach importance to the background and appearance, 11% - 14% - 13% of students chose a virtual background within the university corporate style.
Figure 11. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on dialogue initiation after completing the previous one
(Question 10)
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
Figure 12. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on spelling and punctuation rules compliance, i.e., spelling of names with capital letters, absence of acronyms, etc. (Question 11)
48% 41% 41 °/„
I 1 /\J I 1 /u 31% 34% 36%
15% 19% 14%
6% 6% |
■ ■■
I try not to move with the I try to keep other people out I try to make visual contact I don't leave the frame if my camera on of the frame during the and not to lose sight camera is on
meeting
■ 2020 «2021 «2022
Figure 13. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on behaviour in the frame (Question 12)
44% 43% 45%
24% 25% 25% 21%
u% 14% 13% um 19% 18%
■ ■
I choose the most neutral I choose a virtual I choose clothes that will
background background within the correspond both to the
university corporate style meeting place and the
number of the participants
■ 2020 «2021 «2022
Figure 14. Statistical processing of the respondents' responses on background appearance choice (Question 13)
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5. DISCUSSION
In accordance with the goals of this research, which, as it has already been mentioned, should be considered an initial step in the direction of digital professionalism studies which will undoubtedly be gaining ground in the near future as the new Covid-driven realities of the labour market are unlikely to recede, our focus is on defining the digital politeness construct and identifying its key constituents while trying to apply its basic principles to teaching practice.
The concept of digital politeness, new to today's research agenda but related to highly relevant notions of netiquette and e-professionalism, determines professional skills exhibited by employees in appropriate professional contexts and applied to facilitate interpersonal communication with clients and colleagues for better professional outcomes. One of the key issues pertaining to digital politeness is distinguishing between universal skills that rely on professional interaction guidelines regulating both language use and communication strategies and field-specific skills required for effective and adequate communication in specific professional settings.
Universal skills are primarily related to general discretion issues, such as privacy, security, and data processing speed while field-specific skills are unique to the industry under examination. As regards language services, the following skills seem to be of high relevance: digital representation (visual, audio, and discursive self-representation), digital time management, equipment operating skills and situational awareness.
Digital representation is a digital reflection of a participant in the work process. It is multimodal in nature and includes visual, audio, and discursive constituents. Visual representation accounts for avatars, photos and any other images associated with a person in the professional digital environment. For instance, Zoom or Microsoft Teams profile images as well as virtual backgrounds are informative not only as far as the user's appearance is concerned, but go much further beyond physical characteristics. Voice tone is no less important in digital communication as sometimes it serves as a means of recognition. From a discursive point of view, the digital work environment in the language industry is characterised by a moderate use of hybrid language generally typical of informal online interaction as well as the avoidance of unnecessary emoticons and emojis as a means of reinforcing one's communicative actions.
Digital time management is crucial in providing translation and interpreting services as online events run
on strict schedules. Breaking the digital punctuality rule would do serious harm to professional reputation. Time management in digital work environments is also related to information processing speed, that is, prompt replies to emails, messages, client inquiries, etc. As any action leaves a digital trace, bad time management skills cannot be veiled in the virtual workspace.
Equipment operating skills help navigate through possible technical troubles often occurring during digital interaction while situational awareness is irreplaceable when the situation requires an immediate decision and instant action.
At a first glance, the skills on the list may not seem as directly pertaining to politeness. However, as it was stated in the Introduction, in this study, digital politeness is understood as a set of guidelines regulating verbal and non-verbal behaviour in professional contexts within the virtual work environment.
The suggested inventory of digital politeness skills is by no means limited to the items listed. It was compiled on the basis of empirical data obtained in the course of attending various virtual events over the period of the last two years, specifically, informal meetings and discussions with colleagues organised by the Russian Translation Teachers' Association and Russia's Union of Translators, webinars held by language industry representatives from across the globe, international conferences and other online events providing simultaneous and consecutive interpreting via videoconferencing applications. However, while digitalisation of the workspace keeps penetrating language services, it is only natural that the list will be expanded as new items gain relevance.
Data obtained in the course of class observation and student surveys suggest that interpreters- and translators-in-training keep records of changes affecting work processes in the language industry and realise the relevance of digital politeness as part of their professional competence. Awareness and realisation did not always result in successful outcomes, so some students (mostly enrolled in the bachelor's degree programme) needed guidance in constructing their digital representations while others made independent professionally relevant decisions affecting their digital personas.
Some of the specific results could be briefly described as follows.
1. By the end of the spring semester of 2019-2020, fall semester of 2020-2021, spring semester of 2020-2021 and fall semester of 2021-2022 most students had academic style images in their Microsoft
Digital politeness in online translator and interpreter training: The lessons of the pandemic
by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
Teams profiles. More than half of the student body were using corporate background images when working with their camera on.
2. The camera-on-when-speaking rule was introduced into the learning process and students no longer had to be reminded when their camera and microphone had to be active.
3. Chat rules were worked out for classes and any other online events, a specific protocol prescribing that the audience should be greeted, and all speakers should be thanked for their contributions. Also, appropriate address forms and academic titles were to be preserved.
4. No late joining could be excused. Attendance was to be registered without any reminders.
5. Class documents, folders, portfolios, presentations, etc. were to conform to uniform style.
6. Presentations, posters, documents, etc. were to have backup copies that could be immediately accessed by any project member in case the presenter was experiencing a technical problem.
The list above illustrates practical application of the digital politeness concept in translator training. It could be significantly extended to include all relevant rules and conventions introduced during distance learning. However, this is not the goal of the present research. What is important is that language workers were to a great degree affected by migration to virtual workspaces as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, so university programmes should be very flexible in responding to this change. Undergraduate and graduate students are increasingly aware of new professional realities and ready to adapt to new digital environments.
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6. CONCLUSION
The paper aimed to contribute to the limited but exponentially growing body of research into professional digital competence in post-Covid professional environments by examining how the virtual workspace affected professional interpersonal communication conventions in the language industry, how digitalisation trends are perceived by university students training to join the translation services providers community and what teaching methods can enhance the student's acquisition of relevant digital skills. It provided a preliminary exploration of digital politeness and related issues with a special emphasis on the language industry which was one of the most Covid-affected ones in terms of migration to digital work environments. The findings suggest that digital politeness is not intuitive. It should be analysed in relation to professional factors and addressed by educators providing professional training. Both universal and field-specific components are important as far as a successful communication outcome is expected. Language workers' familiarity with digital technologies and digital politeness rules regulating professional interaction in digital work environments offers numerous benefits to both service providers and their clients as it saves time, helps enhance the accuracy of the information exchange and maintains the high standard of interpreting and translation services. University students enrolled in Linguistics and Translation Studies programmes are increasingly aware of the impact digital politeness skills may have on their career and are -willing to engage in academic activities, including extracurricular events, contributing to their professional development.
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by Irina V. Tivyaeva and Diana R. Abdulmianova
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IRINA V. TIVYAEVA Moscow City University, Russia tivyaeva@yandex.ru
DIANA R. ABDULMIANOVA Moscow City University, Russia diana-gazieva@mail.ru
