Availability and acceptability of interpreting services for refugees as a question of trauma-informed care

Abstract

Refugee-background communities have been a significant part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s multicultural population for decades. Despite the documented relevance of communication for newly arrived refugees, local reports over the years have found significant gaps in effective communication between culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations and public service providers. This article presents findings from a study exploring interpreting in refugee contexts (IRCs) in Aotearoa New Zealand, along with the applicability and suitability of trauma-informed interpreting as a positive approach to interpreting services. Relying on interviews with refugee-background clients, the research outlined below suggests that language barriers and negative experiences when using language assistance services are often (re)settlement stressors for this population. The study further found challenges related to interpreter availability and acceptability for refugees, which were linked to client dissatisfaction and potential (re)traumatisation. The detailed discussion of findings leads to a call to embed trauma-informed principles in good practice guidelines for all professionals, including interpreters, working with potentially traumatised clients. To that end, it is imperative that interpreter education programmes provide trauma-informed training and that public service authorities ensure the use of qualified language professionals.