Interpreters as Translation Machines: Telephone Interpreting Challenges as Awareness Problems

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Communication Studies
• Sociolinguistics

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption globally.
• Effective communication is crucial in healthcare, especially for patients with limited English proficiency.
• Telephone interpreting plays a vital role in bridging communication gaps in telehealth settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the challenges faced by telephone interpreters working with healthcare providers in Australia.
• To explore factors affecting communication in telephone interpreting.
• To understand interpreters' perceptions of healthcare provider collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing one-on-one interviews.
• Conducted with 67 healthcare interpreters in Australia.
• Data analyzed to identify communication barriers and collaboration issues.

Main Results:

• Key challenges include lack of interpreter briefing, poor audio quality, and absence of visual cues.
• Interpreters perceive a significant underlying problem: healthcare providers often view them as mere 'translation machines'.
• This mechanistic view creates barriers to effective collaboration and worsens communication difficulties.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare providers' mechanistic approach to interpreting hinders effective communication and collaboration.
• Addressing this requires raising awareness among healthcare providers about the complexities of interpreting.
• Improved understanding and collaboration are essential for equitable health outcomes for minority language speakers.