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Interpreters' subjective experiences of interpreting for refugees in person and via telephone in health and behavioural health settings in the United States
Author(s) -
Dubus Nicole
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
health and social care in the community
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.984
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1365-2524
pISSN - 0966-0410
DOI - 10.1111/hsc.12270
Subject(s) - interpreter , refugee , health care , language barrier , qualitative research , psychology , limited english proficiency , nursing , medicine , public relations , applied psychology , medical education , sociology , political science , computer science , law , programming language , social science
Interpreters, whether in person or via telephonic means, are used in healthcare settings to aid communication between clinicians and clients when the same language is not shared. Refugees seeking health and behavioural healthcare often have multiple needs and experiences of trauma that can complicate the provision of services. Little is known about the interpreters' experiences in providing in‐person and telephonic interpreting for refugees. This qualitative study sought to understand the subjective experiences of interpreters in providing in‐person and telephone interpretations to refugees in healthcare settings in the United States. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyse the transcribed, audio‐taped individual, semi‐structured interviews of 36 interpreters. These interviews were conducted between July 2013 and July 2014. Two themes were identified: (i) the importance for the interpreter to develop trust with the client; and (ii) working with refugees requires more attention from the interpreter. The interpreters of this study describe experiencing additional challenges in working with refugees versus other clients. Recommendations based on the findings are made.