Interprofessional relations in interpreted lawyer-client interviews. An Australian case study

摘要

Generating data from an online survey of 25 lawyers and 85 interpreters in Australia, this study explores the interprofessional relations between lawyers and interpreters when they work together in private legal interviews. The findings show that the majority of the lawyers and the interpreters were satisfied with their working relations and positive about further improvements and training. However, lawyers did not view those interpreters who acted in contravention of their code of ethics as equal professionals. Because of a misconception about interpreting credentials, lawyers were unable to link interpreters' varying professional competence to their different training levels. At the same time, interpreters lacked confidence to regard themselves as professionals equal to lawyers. Further, statistically significant correlations were found between interpreters' combined training and accreditation levels and their attitudes towards their relations with the lawyers. The findings of this study have practical implications for the improvement of interpreted legal services.