Dr. Irem Ayan

Biography

Irem Ayan is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia in the Department of French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies. She holds an MA in Conference Interpreting from the Institut libre Marie Haps in Brussels and a PhD in Translation Studies from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Before joining UBC, she taught a variety of original courses in translation theory and practice at Binghamton University's Romance Languages Department, where she was involved in the Translation Research Instruction Program (TRIP). Ayan's research interests focus on translation, interpreting, gender studies, and sociology, with a particular emphasis on (auto)ethnography. Her ethnographic research examines the dilemmas faced by interpreters in embodying speakers while striving to remain neutral. She explores how gendered assumptions from clients can affect interpreters' performance. Ayan is currently working on a book manuscript tentatively titled "Emotional Labour in Conference Interpreting: Gender, Alienation, Sabotage," which investigates the implications of emotional labour on interpreters' identities and gender. With eleven years of professional experience as a conference interpreter and translator, she has trained numerous international organizations, including the United Nations in New York and NATO in Brussels.

Research Interests