Interpreting in refugee contexts. A descriptive and qualitative study

Abstract

Interpreting in refugee contexts (IRC) has long been invisible to Western societies and Interpreting Studies. This paper aims at describing the background and features of IRC, and presents a small-scale qualitative study, whose main objectives are: exploring interpreters' perception regarding competences and role, and exploring refugees' perception regarding the quality of the interpreting service. For this purpose, a focus group and unstructured interviews were conducted in Spain. Data were analysed through comparative analysis and coding procedures. Results show interpreters' dissatisfaction with their working conditions and refugees’ experience with interpretation seems to be negative and frustrating. Further research in this area is needed in order to raise awareness of communication and integration difficulties of refugees.