Informal Interpreters in Medical Settings

Schouten, Barbara C.; Ross, Jonathan; Zendedel, Rena; Meeuwesen, Ludwien

doi:10.1080/13556509.2012.10799513

Cited by 26 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…This role is particularly important in an area where multiple minority languages are spoken and the use of informal translators is common. Translators (both formal and informal) can act as advocates for participants, informal translators in particular see their role as supporting and advising people in addition to translating [ 35 , 36 ]. Informal translators have reported that perceived time pressures mean they summarise, omit or translate information later [ 35 , 36 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges and potential solutions of achieving meaningful consent amongst research participants in northern Thailand: a qualitative study

Greer,

Kanthawang,

Roest

et al. 2023

BMC Med Ethics

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Background Achieving meaningful consent can be challenging, particularly in contexts of diminished literacy, yet is a vital part of participant protection in global health research. Method We explored the challenges and potential solutions of achieving meaningful consent through a qualitative study in a predominantly hill tribe ethnic minority population in northern Thailand, a culturally distinctive population with low literacy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 respondents who had participated in scrub typhus clinical research, their family members, researchers and other key informants. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results Our analysis identified four interrelated themes surrounding participants’ ability to give consent: varying degrees of research understanding, limitations of using informal translators, issues impacting decisions to join research, and voluntariness of consent. Suggestions for achieving more meaningful consent included the use of formal translators and community engagement with research populations. Conclusions Participant’s agency in decision making to join research should be supported, but research information needs to be communicated to potential participants in a way that they can understand. We found that improved understanding about the study and its potential benefits and harms goes beyond literacy or translation and requires attention to social and cultural factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The challenges and potential solutions of achieving meaningful consent amongst research participants in northern Thailand: a qualitative study

Greer,

Kanthawang,

Roest

et al. 2023

BMC Med Ethics

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“…As a natural part of the interpreting profession, interpreters actually work at the edge of their cognitive abilities after some time on task to generate their income. Even though the students reportedly believed that oral translation is actually mentally and psychologically demanding, despite the common misconception within society, it can still be considered a profession of high visibility (Schouten et al, 2012). It is also reportedly more prestigious and an interpreter has a higher status compared to that of a translator.…”

Section: Themesmentioning

confidence: 95%

The Occupational Status of Translators and Interpreters in Turkey: Perceptions of Professionals and Translation Students

Akçayoğlu

Özer

2020

Çeviribilim Ve Uygulamaları Dergisi

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This study aims to investigate the perceptions of professional translators/interpreters and undergraduate translation students enrolled at a state university in Turkey about the occupational status of the translation profession, the curricula of translator-training programmes, and the challenges of translators/interpreters. The participants were 24 translation and interpreting department students enrolled in the Department of Translation and Interpreting at a state university located in southern Turkey and 12 professional translators and interpreters working in various cities in Turkey. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face and online with the students and an online survey administered to the professional translators and interpreters. Through the lens of professional translators/interpreters and translation students, the study explored a tacit consensus over the status of translators, indicating that translation is perceived as a low-status occupation. By comparing the responses of the professionals and students, this study underscored the cardinal importance of translation students’ specialisation during the course of the undergraduate degree. Based on these findings, this study portrays a more inclusive picture of the translation and interpreting curricula of undergraduate programmes in Turkey and the perceived status of translators/interpreters. The study also presents the participants’ views about how to raise the status of translators in society. In line with the results, the study also provided suggestions regarding the undergraduate translation and interpreting education as well as the potential solutions to improve the status of translators and interpreters.

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“…The LAs that were recruited for the training share characteristics with non-professional interpreters (NPIs): they do not possess "the required qualifications or skills to do the job generally performed by professional interpreters" (Angelelli, 2020, p. 115) nor do they receive remuneration or have recognised expertise (Martínez-Gómez, 2015). Research into nonprofessional interpreting has pointed out some of the pitfalls of working with non-professional interpreters, addressing issues related to mistranslations, omissions and terminological difficulties, due to either insufficient language competencies or a lack of knowledge of the subject matter (Pöllabauer, 2017;Schouten et al, 2012). Aside from concerns with message transfer, there has been a keen interest in the NPIs' institutionalisation processes (Aguilar Solano, 2015) and role boundaries (Martínez-Gómez, 2014;Pöchhacker & Kadric, 1999).…”

Section: Central Notionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observing briefly trained, non-certified interpreters at work: Risk Analysis

et al. 2021

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The exceptional migratory flows in 2015-2016 have entailed several challenges for the Flemish public service interpreting sector, including a mismatch in supply and demand, a shortage of interpreters for lesser-used language varieties, and government budget constraints. In order to meet these challenges head-on, the Flemish Government Integration Agency, responsible for certifying public-service interpreters, has set up a research project designed to determine whether, and under what circumstances, briefly trained volunteer “language assistants” (LAs) could offer a valid additional form of language mediation. First, participants were trained and evaluated when interacting, mainly through role plays, with fellow trainees. Second, their interpreting performances during real-life service provision interactions were video-recorded and assessed. The LAs’ interpreting performances were assessed predominantly as unsatisfactory, with the main risks being linked to low interpreter competence, language proficiency, and deontological awareness. Those findings have been addressed in a follow-up project, by increasing the required CEFR level of Dutch and by changing the content of the training.

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Informal Interpreters in Medical Settings

Cited by 26 publications

References 4 publications

The challenges and potential solutions of achieving meaningful consent amongst research participants in northern Thailand: a qualitative study

The challenges and potential solutions of achieving meaningful consent amongst research participants in northern Thailand: a qualitative study

The Occupational Status of Translators and Interpreters in Turkey: Perceptions of Professionals and Translation Students

Observing briefly trained, non-certified interpreters at work: Risk Analysis

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