Tea Mattila, Arabic interpreter and translator
Karoliina Mäki, Hilma – Support Centre for Immigrant Persons with Disabilities and long-term Illnesses
Eveliina Heino, SOSKIELI research project, Åbo Akademi, University of Helsinki
Hanna Kara, SOSKIELI research project, Åbo Akademi, University of Helsinki
The blog post discusses the features and prerequisites for successful public service interpreting in social work. It is based on both research findings and practice experiences.
Interpreting is the cornerstone of multilingual communication and a tool for communication between persons speaking different languages. In social work encounters, interpretation is also a means of ensuring the legal security of both the service user and the practitioner, as well as a tool for cooperation. It plays an important role in achieving equality by influencing whether service users receive the support and services they need.
However, interpreting is not automatically a guarantee of successful multilingual interaction or communication, and there can be various challenges. In social work, encounters may also be unsatisfactory or frustrating for the parties involved due to factors other than linguistic differences, such as unmet expectations.
For this paper, we identified the following factors influencing the success of multilingual communication in the interpreting process:
- The first prerequisite for successful interpreting is that the interpreter’s role is clear to all parties. This means that the social work practitioner is familiar with the Interpreter’s Professional Code of Ethics and, where necessary, the service use is also made aware of it. This can make it easier for the service user to trust the interpreter’s confidentiality, among other things.
- The interpreter must have the necessary time and space for introducing themselves and opening their role: the interpreter is impartial and works with confidentiality, interprets everything, and uses the ‘I’ form in interpreting. This introduction at the beginning of the meeting serves as a reminder of the interpreter’s role and assists all parties to orient themselves to the situation. It may be useful to reintroduce the interpreter’s role in the conversation, for example, when tackling sensitive issues.
- When booking the interpreting service, the practitioner should ensure that the interpreter knows the language and the possible dialect of the service user and consider other factors related to the interpretation. Where possible, it is a good idea to ask the service user if they have any special requests for interpretation (e.g., the gender of the interpreter).
- In certain situations, it may be better to get an interpreter from outside the service user’s area of residence and make use of, for example, telephone interpreting.
- If possible, it is often useful to inform the interpreter in advance about the subject of the meeting. The more the interpreter knows about the issues to be discussed, the better they will be able to prepare, and this will enhance the communication at the meeting.
- It is important to pause talk during the meeting so that the interpreter can interpret fully. This also means that more time should be scheduled for interpreter-mediated service encounters.
- It is important to remember that the service user is at the center of the meeting and the work at hand, i.e., the practitioner and the service user are talking, and the interpreter’s role is to facilitate the conversation. The practitioner should focus on the service user and maintain eye contact with them so that the service user does not feel excluded.
- The practitioner should use plain language, especially if the client has a disability that requires it. In general, the practitioner should avoid using complicated terminology and explain what different services, support, or decisions involve. The interpreter interprets in the same register, i.e., employing the same terminology and expressions as the speaker.
- The practitioner can check both their own and the service user’s understanding of the issues discussed by asking the service user what they understood or by summarising what they heard and understood to check whether there are any miscomprehensions.
An interpreter-mediated situation therefore requires active participation from all parties to work and to ensure that all parties involved have understood and become understood correctly. The interpreter has both responsibility and power. The power of the interpreter can be seen as linguistic power and as knowledge of cultures and institutions of both societies. It is the interpreter’s responsibility to convey the message comprehensively between the parties. The social worker leads the discussion and is responsible for ensuring that everyone is heard adequately, the necessary information is conveyed, and the service user receives the support they need.