How Do Interpreters Not Know Language? Monolingual Approaches to Multilingual Minorities in Interpreting

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ABSTRACTThis study examines how linguistic minorities’ language needs are overlooked in relation to interpreter arrangement via established monolingual practices and ideologies of language barriers. It seeks to problematise the common view of interpreting as a solution to language barriers, through which to highlight the importance of accommodating the often‐multilingual nature of minority languages for interpreting to ensure access equity. Drawing on one‐on‐one interviews with health care interpreters in Australia, the study investigates common problems with language identification in the case of Afghan speakers not proficient in English. The findings reveal that Afghan people tend to identify Dari, one of the official languages of Afghanistan, with Farsi, commonly known as the language of Iran, owing to the historical sociolinguistic dynamics of Afghanistan. The Afghan tendency is, however, not accommodated in the Australian language assessment tool for minority individuals, which exclusively focuses on English language proficiency of minority groups, leading to problems with interpreter arrangement for Afghan people. By illuminating monolingual biases in language barriers involving minority groups, the research has both theoretical and practical implications through which to reapproach language barriers for ethnic minorities from an inclusive perspective.