Exploring the experience of Polish interpreters who interpret for mental health clinicians in the UK: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe current study explores the experiences of Polish interpreters who interpret for mental health clinicians and how Polish interpreters view the triadic relationship among themselves, the service user and the mental health clinician they work with when interpreting in a mental health setting. Six participants (four female and two male) were recruited with each taking part in a semi-structured interview. Length of time working as an interpreter in the UK National Health Service (NHS) ranged from six months to 10 years. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, J. A. (2004). Reflecting on the Development of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and its Contribution to Qualitative Research in Psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1, 39–54. doi:10.1191/1478088704qp004oa.). Three themes emerged from the analysis of the participants’ interview transcripts. These were: (1) ‘Just a linguist?’ – highlighting the confusion and complexity of the interpretin...