Code-switching practices in English-Italian mediator-interpreted parent-teacher conferences

In interpreter-mediated public service encounters, when primary interlocutors can partially speak each other’s language(s), they may shift into their counterpart’s language, resulting in instances of code-switching. Previous research has shown that such code-switching can affect interpreter-mediated encounters by shaping role negotiation and participant communication. The present study draws on the analysis of two mediated parent-teacher meetings audio recorded in a nursery school in Reggio-Emilia and provides insights into code-switching by Italian teachers when English is used as the language of mediation with migrant parents. The data were analysed using a conversation analytical approach, to establish where within sequences teachers’ code-switching occurs and with what implications. Two patterns were identified: in the first, code-switching is initiated during dyadic sequences between the mediator and the parent, often to tackle specific trouble sources; in the second, code-switching occurs just after the beginning of a sequence and serves to establish direct communication with the migrant parents. The analysis of mediators’ actions during sequences involving teacher code-switching revealed that mediators orient to cooperating with teachers by either adapting their renditions to the teachers’ code-switched utterances or withholding their intervention until the sequence has further developed. These findings highlight how code-switching also influences the interpreter’s role and decision-making within the interaction.