The Interpreter as Intercultural Agent in Convention Refugee Hearings

Abstract

AbstractInterpreters in the legal domain, especially those involved in the Convention refugee hearing process, perform a variety of intercultural functions. The manner in which these functions are carried out determines the success of the communication process in terms of the acceptance or rejection of a given refugee’s claim. On the basis of interviews conducted as part of a research project designed to establish what motivates a Convention refugee to choose one host country rather than another, this paper sets out to provide a description of the functions performed by interpreters in the context of refugee hearings. Examples are offered to elaborate the range and complexity of intercultural mediation in these hearings, as well as the obvious deficiencies of the present legal system in terms of its limited utilization of the vast resources offered by interpreters.