Exploring the experience of Polish interpreters who interpret for mental health professionals: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

摘要

Literature Review:\udThe aim of the review was to explore the research literature in relation to the\udexperiences of interpreters of migrants in a mental health context. A systematic\udreview of the literature was carried out in order to provide a thematic synthesis\udof the findings of previous research. Of the 1805 articles found, eleven met the\udinclusion criteria for the review. The process followed Thomas and Harden\ud(2008) recommendation of data collection, critical appraisal and thematic\udsynthesis. In total, five themes were uncovered. These were ‘mental health\udinterpreting is an enhanced role’; ‘bearing witness’; ‘emotional impact’;\ud‘relationship matters’ and ‘coping (trial and error)’. The literature purported to\udshow the added complexities of interpreting when compared to non mental\udhealth settings. Interpreters can be emotionally affected whilst working in\udmental health settings, this can relate to bearing witness to traumatic stories\udwhich can cause distress and affect their wellbeing.\udResearch Report:\udThe research aimed to understand how Polish interpreters experience their\udroles in adult mental health settings and to understand how they view the triadic\udrelationship between themselves, client and mental health professional when\udinterpreting. Six participants were recruited from interpreting services and each\udtook part in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analysed using\udInterpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants’ accounts clustered\udaround one superordinate theme of ‘being paid to be a machine for a human\udrole’. This was made up of three themes: ‘Just a linguist?’, ‘Unspoken alliances’\udand ‘Communicating emotional reactions’. The findings of the current research\udemphasise the importance for clinicians, mental health and interpreting services\udto take into account the emotional impact, and disempowerment caused by\udstructural systemic factors which limit the voice of the interpreter.\udCritical Appraisal:\udFinally, the critical appraisal offers the researchers’ reflections on the research\udprocess, methodological limitations and proposals for future research.