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Interpreting for refugees, role as an interpreter?
Thread poster: wonita (X)
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:25
Aug 9, 2009

What role should an interpreter play when interpreting for refugees?

Do you try to help the immigration officers to find out as much truth as possible, or you are only there to take messages?

Just one example: A person has to prove him to be persecuted in his home country to be officially accepted as a political refugee. He has documents, some copies of the local newspapers, or a detention order as evidence. But you as someone who grew up in the same country can tell e
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What role should an interpreter play when interpreting for refugees?

Do you try to help the immigration officers to find out as much truth as possible, or you are only there to take messages?

Just one example: A person has to prove him to be persecuted in his home country to be officially accepted as a political refugee. He has documents, some copies of the local newspapers, or a detention order as evidence. But you as someone who grew up in the same country can tell easily that these documents are faked.

Given the immigration officer asks you only what’s on the documents, would you point out that the evidence isn’t trustworthy?

Is it morally acceptable to pass on information you get from personal small talks to the authority?

How would you act in such a situation?

Thank you
Bin



[Edited at 2009-08-09 18:52 GMT]
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jokerman
jokerman
Germany
Local time: 09:25
Member (2008)
English to German
+ ...
some thoughts... Aug 9, 2009

Hi Bin,

from my (rather extensive) experience as interpreter for authorities (usually interpreting for the police, courts and/or German immigration offices) and also from my general understanding of the role of an interpreter, I'd clearly argue that _any_ kind of subjective impact from my side is absolutely undesireable and inappropriate. Acctually, a good and professional interpreter is the one who is as 'unvisible' as possible during the entire communication process while at the s
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Hi Bin,

from my (rather extensive) experience as interpreter for authorities (usually interpreting for the police, courts and/or German immigration offices) and also from my general understanding of the role of an interpreter, I'd clearly argue that _any_ kind of subjective impact from my side is absolutely undesireable and inappropriate. Acctually, a good and professional interpreter is the one who is as 'unvisible' as possible during the entire communication process while at the same time transmitting the communication in its entirety as accurately as possible (including mimics, gestures and tone of the parties' statements).

Passing on information that you get from personal small talks to another party is absolutely inacceptable IMHO and acctually is one of the 'deadly sins' of an interpreter. Besides linguistic skills, confidentiality is one of the most important characteristics in this business as far as my experience is concerned. Lack of confidentiality will inevitably seriousely damage your credibility as a professional interpreter.

Also, in my understanding, passing on any information you might have about the investigated party (regardles of the acctual source) is just the same as passing on any information you might have obtained from participating as an interperter in the previous parts of the investigation process to the other party, i.e. just the same as passing on details of the police investigation to the suspect and/or accused. Now, that would be not only a professional blunder but also a serious criminal offence.

In short: As an interpreter, you are an absolutely neutral participant in the process and not allowed to advocate any of the parties involved. You never pass on any information you have to any other party and ideally, you should not even have an opinion on anything - or at least never share it with anyone.

Courious to see whether colleagues will disagree.

Bests,

Igor
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Shouguang Cao
Shouguang Cao  Identity Verified
China
Local time: 16:25
English to Chinese
+ ...
I agree with Jokerman Aug 9, 2009

I agree with Jokerman. As a interpreter, it is clearly unethical to deliberately say less or more than what is said by the participants. However, things can get complicated. I think what matters also is who you are working for (who pays you) and what your roles are. Quite often the one who pays you to provide interpretation also asks you for opinions. Sometimes when you work as a interpreter, you are also expected to act as an consultant.

I have a client. I work for her for over two
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I agree with Jokerman. As a interpreter, it is clearly unethical to deliberately say less or more than what is said by the participants. However, things can get complicated. I think what matters also is who you are working for (who pays you) and what your roles are. Quite often the one who pays you to provide interpretation also asks you for opinions. Sometimes when you work as a interpreter, you are also expected to act as an consultant.

I have a client. I work for her for over two years and I am paid monthly. I mainly translate her emails and sometimes interpret for her over the phone. Sometimes she asks questions like this: "what do you think this guy really wants," and I tell her my opinion, as I believe I work not only as a translator, but also an assistant.


[Edited at 2009-08-09 20:22 GMT]
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wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:25
TOPIC STARTER
Social responsibility as a citizen Aug 9, 2009

jokerman wrote:

In short: As an interpreter, you are an absolutely neutral participant in the process and not allowed to advocate any of the parties involved. You never pass on any information you have to any other party and ideally, you should not even have an opinion on anything - or at least never share it with anyone.

Courious to see whether colleagues will disagree.

Bests,

Igor


I agree with you as an interpreter.

But on the hand, as good citizens, one of which I strive to be at least , are we not obliged to help the authority to know the truth?

My personal opinion about refugees, whether political or economic: Everybody has the right to pursue a better life.

Bin


 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:25
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Who am I working for? Aug 9, 2009

Who am I working for? There lies my loyalty.

If I am being paid by the Immigration Service or any government agency to provide services to it, even as a non-employee on a freelance basis, I would feel it to be my duty to pass along any information I had picked up on that the agency people might have missed. I have a duty to help the agency enforce the law, and no duty to help a possible violator evade justice. I also have a duty of confidentiality to reveal nothing to other parties.
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Who am I working for? There lies my loyalty.

If I am being paid by the Immigration Service or any government agency to provide services to it, even as a non-employee on a freelance basis, I would feel it to be my duty to pass along any information I had picked up on that the agency people might have missed. I have a duty to help the agency enforce the law, and no duty to help a possible violator evade justice. I also have a duty of confidentiality to reveal nothing to other parties.

If I am being paid to interpret for a lawyer and client, I have a duty to provide help if the lawyer and client are clueless about some items I could clarify, and I would help the lawyer and client in sorting them out. I also have a duty of confidentiality to reveal nothing to other parties because of the lawyer-client privilege.

If I am working for a court, a court is impartial and I must be impartial, without adding and substracting anything, regardless of who I may be interpreting for.

I do need to state that I have no formal knowledge of ethics in this area, so what I have just said is only my idea and others' standards could be different. But my work actually does not involve such matters, so no one is in any danger even if I am wrong.

I am also interested to see what others have to say.
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isahuang
isahuang
Local time: 04:25
English to Chinese
+ ...
It is not your duty to help the authority to find out the truth while interpreting Aug 9, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

jokerman wrote:

In short: As an interpreter, you are an absolutely neutral participant in the process and not allowed to advocate any of the parties involved. You never pass on any information you have to any other party and ideally, you should not even have an opinion on anything - or at least never share it with anyone.

Courious to see whether colleagues will disagree.

Bests,

Igor


I agree with you as an interpreter.

But on the hand, as good citizens, one of which I strive to be at least , are we not obliged to help the authority to know the truth?

My personal opinion about refugees, whether political or economic: Everybody has the right to pursue a better life.

Bin


You should only interpret exactly what the limited German (or other language) speakers says during the interpretation. If you have second thoughts and really want to fulfill your good citizen responsibilty, you can report to the authority what bothers you after the job is done or if you are hired by a translation company, talk to them about your suspicion first, and they probably can give you some advice as to what to do.


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 05:25
TOPIC STARTER
I am hired by the police office Aug 9, 2009

isahuang wrote:
If you have second thoughts and really want to fulfill your good citizen responsibilty, you can report to the authority what bothers you after the job is done or if you are hired by a translation company, talk to them about your suspicion first, and they probably can give you some advice as to what to do.


But I am not an employee(which will make the case easier), only a freelancer.


 
sokolniki
sokolniki  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:25
English to Russian
+ ...
I interpreted numerous interviews.. Aug 9, 2009

.. at the Immigration Asylum Office. Contrary to you, I was hired by different young people (referred to me by an agent in their city) on different occasions. This kind of assignment is a vivid example of the interpreter's golden rule of impartiality. It is up to the immigration officer/judge to decide. BTW, as far as I know they were granted refugee status. Good for them

 
juvera
juvera  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:25
English to Hungarian
+ ...
jokerman is right Aug 9, 2009

He summarised the interpreter's role and required behaviour well.

The interpreter is not there "only to take messages", but to convey to both parties what is being said by the other IN THEIR PRESENCE!

It would be good practice to make it clear to both parties at the start that you will interpret everything being said by either of them. You mentioned "small talk" - never engage in small talk out of earshot of the official! That is one sure way to get into trouble.
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He summarised the interpreter's role and required behaviour well.

The interpreter is not there "only to take messages", but to convey to both parties what is being said by the other IN THEIR PRESENCE!

It would be good practice to make it clear to both parties at the start that you will interpret everything being said by either of them. You mentioned "small talk" - never engage in small talk out of earshot of the official! That is one sure way to get into trouble.

Some situations can be frustrating for all sort of reasons, and you could find excuses for not wanting to adhere to the basic rules of interpreting, but don't give in to temptation, because your "help" could be questionable, and you could make yourself vulnerable.

This may seem harsh to you, but I can assure you, it is sound advice.

[Edited at 2009-08-09 23:37 GMT]
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Peter Manda (X)
Peter Manda (X)
Local time: 04:25
German to English
+ ...
duty to disclose confidences? Aug 10, 2009

Tricky question imho if the defendant discloses a fact to you as an interpreter that otherwise would be covered in the US by the Fifth Amendment Right against self incrimination. As a publicly appointed official in the capacity of court interpreter, I would be surprised if a judge would allow the incriminating evidence exchanged between a party and the court interpreter. Imho, unless the information relates to or involves a real or perceived threat of bodily injury to self or others, the communi... See more
Tricky question imho if the defendant discloses a fact to you as an interpreter that otherwise would be covered in the US by the Fifth Amendment Right against self incrimination. As a publicly appointed official in the capacity of court interpreter, I would be surprised if a judge would allow the incriminating evidence exchanged between a party and the court interpreter. Imho, unless the information relates to or involves a real or perceived threat of bodily injury to self or others, the communication between a court interpreter and the defendant would be privileged and, even if not in certain jurisdictions, I as the court interpreter would be under a duty to immediately advise the defendant that he has a right against self incrimination and that he/she should not be communicating to me as the court interpreter any facts that are or could be privileged attorney-client communications. If the attorney for the defendant does not have his/her own interpreter and the defendant requests me as the court interpreter to be an intermediary, then it is my duty to obtain a waiver from the all attorneys and the court that would allow me to act in the dual capacity of court interpreter and interpreter for the defense. /// and I don't see it much different in the immigration context, where the incrimination may have the deleterious effect of the petitioner losing status. My duty is to act as a vehicle to facilitate communication NOT to act as a fact gatherer.

[Edited at 2009-08-10 00:46 GMT]
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Liviu-Lee Roth
Liviu-Lee Roth
United States
Local time: 04:25
Romanian to English
+ ...
agree with jokerman Aug 10, 2009

I have been interpreting for the US Immigration Court for about 15 years and I had my share of "white and not-so-white lies." Coming from Romania, it was easy for me to spot the lie, but as an interpreter it is not my job to advocate. If the trial attorney or the judge did not do their homework to better understand the country conditions it is their problem, not the interpreter's.
For example: the respondent pretended to be a persecuted gypsy claiming that the Romanian villagers set his h
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I have been interpreting for the US Immigration Court for about 15 years and I had my share of "white and not-so-white lies." Coming from Romania, it was easy for me to spot the lie, but as an interpreter it is not my job to advocate. If the trial attorney or the judge did not do their homework to better understand the country conditions it is their problem, not the interpreter's.
For example: the respondent pretended to be a persecuted gypsy claiming that the Romanian villagers set his house on fire, burning his livestock and killing his grandmother inside the house. Later on during the hearing, the government's attorney asked me to translate the respondent's Romanian ID card. His actual address for the last 10 years was in an apartment building!! You would think that the attorney or judge would notice the discrepancy! Guess what? They did not!
A month later while chatting with the judge, I brought to his attention what had happened and we started laughing.
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lindaellen (X)
lindaellen (X)

You are an interpreter not an undercover agent Aug 10, 2009

Dear Bin,

I see your problem, but you are hired as an interpreter, not an undercover agent or detective with the mandate to check documents.

If I was in your position, I would discuss this problelm with the police/court that hired you. In fact they should have guidelines on this type of situation. They most certainly have ombudspeople and lawyers with whom you can clarify your position, duties, LIABILITES, etc.

Best wishes

lindaellen


 
Buck
Buck
Netherlands
Local time: 09:25
Dutch to English
The job is to interpret what it said Aug 10, 2009

I did some interpreting for the aliens' police years ago, and it was pointed out to me that I was there to ONLY interpret what was said, not help the immigration official determine what was true or not. That is the immigration official's job, IMO.

 
Parrot
Parrot  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:25
Spanish to English
+ ...
The interpreter is not hired as a witness Aug 10, 2009

(and witnesses aren't paid -- it can invalidate their testimony). A judge once explained to me that I was a facility, contracted to ensure compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Constitution and the Law on Civil Procedure. That meant ensuring that the proceedings weren't going to be annulled (nonsuit) on the technical grounds that the party arraigned did not understand the charges, proceedings, etc.. I presume the fine-tuning as to what law and where to draw the line is c... See more
(and witnesses aren't paid -- it can invalidate their testimony). A judge once explained to me that I was a facility, contracted to ensure compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Constitution and the Law on Civil Procedure. That meant ensuring that the proceedings weren't going to be annulled (nonsuit) on the technical grounds that the party arraigned did not understand the charges, proceedings, etc.. I presume the fine-tuning as to what law and where to draw the line is country-dependent, but I'm perfectly clear that my surmises (which could be wrong) don't come into the package. At any rate, the only thing I'm usually sure of in such cases is language, not non-linguistic information.

You could perhaps learn more by googling for material combining the search parameters "interpreters", "refugees", "UNHCR", etc..
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PRen (X)
PRen (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:25
French to English
+ ...
But what happens if you're wrong Aug 10, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:



Just one example: A person has to prove him to be persecuted in his home country to be officially accepted as a political refugee. He has documents, some copies of the local newspapers, or a detention order as evidence. But you as someone who grew up in the same country can tell easily that these documents are faked.

Bin



[Edited at 2009-08-09 18:40 GMT]


You're assuming that you're right about the documents being faked. What if you're wrong? Your opinion has no place in that room. Imagine what would happen if you expressed it, and were wrong.


 
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