Full version of presentation given at the Critical Link 6 in Birmingham, UK, July 2010.

1. Dora Murgu MPSI Training Manager at interpret solutions ProvidingTelephoneInterpretingServicestoSpanishPublicServices

2. INTERPRET SOLUTIONS - overview PROFESSIONALS: TI, PSI Graduates MAIN SERVICE: Telephone Interpreting for the Public Services (TIPS) is our main activity PUBLIC SERVICES: We want to improve global access to Public Services

3. INTERPRET SOLUTIONS – facts and figures 3,000 % increase in usage volume

4. modalities

5. INTERPRET SOLUTIONS - interpreters

6. INTERPRET SOLUTIONS – TI service Face – to – face conversation

7. REALITY THE PROVIDER’S PERSPECTIVE

8. INTERPRET SOLUTIONS - reality The administration’s perspective “Oh well, I do believe this service is very good, but there’s one thing that needs to be clarified: it’s not in my interest that immigrants, with this or even other service, get too comfortable. They get used to being assisted in their language and do not learn to fit in. Careful there.”

9. SURVEY FOR PROVIDERS Method: Online (self completed) and Telephone conducted 77 self-completed surveys, 20 telephone conducted Areas: Education (primary and secondary schools): Catalonia, Murcia, Balearic Islands Social services (information centres, domestic violence centres, social emergency service, shelter): Madrid, Castilla y León Service in use for 1year before survey 2009 – 2010 period

10. SURVEY RESULTS

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23. REALITY THE INTERPRETER’S PERSPECTIVE

24. SURVEY FOR INTERPRETERS Method: Online (self completed) 173 self completed surveys Interpreters: + 1 year experience as Telephone Interpreters with IS Service in use for 1year before survey Completed from january to june 2010

25. SURVEY RESULTS:

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30. SURVEY RESULTS: IF PREVIOUS ANSWER WAS POSITIVE: “The user kept avoiding to answer the question directly and the provider thought I wasn’t interpreting correctly” “In healthcare situations, sometimes providers show lack of interest to retrieve information from the patient. I felt sorry for them and that obviously interfered with my performance.” “In healthcare situations, the nurse was reluctant to explain the specific terminology of an X Ray. I tried convincing her it was her duty to explain the terms in Spanish so I could translate their meaning, but she refused.” “Extreme poverty situations are difficult to interpret and I can hardly be impartial. I accommodate my tone and pitch to express empathy”

31. SURVEY RESULTS:

32. SURVEY RESULTS:

33. IF ANSWER TO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION WAS POSITIVE: Patient asked me to call him on his cell so he could explain his problem better. Doctor: “patient is staggering and smells of alcohol, don’t tell him that though”. Patient: “I’m following homeopathic treatment, but don’t tell the doctor”.

34. SURVEY RESULTS:

35. SURVEY RESULTS: If answer was different from “always”, please rank the following situations by frequency:

36. SURVEY RESULTS: The following interpretation-related challenges are:

37. SURVEY RESULTS: The lack of visual contact has the following effects

38. SURVEY RESULTS: When a segment is too long I follow the following strategies:

39. RECORDINGS A selection of 259 recordings from interpreting sessions that took place between March 2008 and June 2010. Languages (interpreters analysed): English (10), French (4), Romanian (7), Polish (2), Russian (4), Ukrainian, Bulgarian (4), Chinese (8), Portuguese (3), Swedish (1), Urdu (1), Wolof (1), Arab (6), Dutch (1) Areas: Healthcare, Education, Social Services Interpreters: Translation and Interpreting Graduates and Postgraduates, Philology Graduates and similar. Only 8 interpreters with previous experience in Telephone Interpreting.

40. RECORDINGS – RESULTS (provider) Providers and users communicate with interpreters, not through them: high rate of “dileque”-starting questions. REC Healthcare providers perceive interpreter as fellow practitioner (assume knowledge on field and expect interpreter to explain doubts) Providers assume misunderstandings are caused by interpreter’s performance Technical difficulties result in anxious providers/users (low volume when using speakerphone, passing one handset back and forth) Healthcare providers do not provide the interpreter with context / background Providers and users tend to speak in long segments, sometimes for longer than 3 minutes. REC The more active users providers are, the better their output (short sentences, speak to user, not to interpreter, clear terms…).

41. RECORDINGS – RESULTS (interpreter) Confusion at the beginning : conversations are more structured from the beginning with practice. Interpreters explain their role to providers: improves with experience. June 2008 rate: 68,42% December 2008 rate: 100% REC Taking turns: interpreters visibly improve with practice. Experienced interpreters use pauses for breath and hesitation to deliver. Tendency to use first person when delivering to user (tell me your name and address) and third when delivering to provider (he’s telling me his family is been here for…)  further study? REC High rate of background noise: interpreter’s family, street noise, household appliances, pets…

42. CONCLUSIONS – the provider’s perspective There is a clear need of a Telephone Interpreting Service within the Spanish Public Services The equipment provided needs to be improved, connection time and availability are adequate, but could be improved adding more interpreters, better scheduling. Interpreters performanceissatisfactory: perceived as linguistically competent, culturally aware, professional. Communication is effective. Nevertheless, there is need to improve aspects such as partiality, turn-taking. High need to trainproviders: need to avoid ad-hoc interpreters, acknowledge the interpreter’s role. Practice makes perfect.

43. CONCLUSIONS – the interpreter’s perspective The lack of visualcontact is an impediment, but doesnotaltercomprehension / transmission. Turn-taking seems to be the most difficult task for telephone interpreters, since they follow similar procedures to onsite interpreting. More confident use of interruptions and vocal cues better performance . Practice makes perfect. Interpreters are aware of their need to explaintheirrole to speakers (70,72% reported they introduce themselves following the protocol, percentage similar in recordings), therefore the lack of visual contact is not an impediment to state each participant’s role clearly.

44. CONCLUSIONS - GENERAL Telephone Interpreting has positiveimpact on the psychologicaleffectsofinterpreting when compared to other forms of interpreting Telephone Interpreting does notaffectconcentration, comprehension or skills when compared to other forms of interpreting Specific trainingprograms would significantly improve interpreters’ performance Trainingsessions for providers would improve behaviour.

45. WHAT ‘S NEXT? Training for providers: guidelines and manuals. Training sessions must be made compulsory. Training for interpreters: seminars within PSI courses. “Manual de Interpretación Telefónica”for academic use to be released in 2011.

46. THANK YOU! Dora Murgu dmurgu@interpretsolutions.com www.interpretsolutions.com