Launch of Report on
‘Developing Quality, Cost effective Interpreting and Translation Services in Ireland’
(focussing on newcomers to Ireland)
At 2 pm on Monday 6th October 2008
Buswells Hotel, Molesworth Street, Dublin
While there is an onus on all newcomers to Ireland to learn English (and indeed many are also learning Irish), there is also an increasing need to provide quality interpretive and translation services to those who may struggling to access key information and advice or who may find themselves in emergency situations.
Critical areas for interpretive services include health, policing, and the courts. The research being launched today was commissioned by the Office of the Minister for Integration in partnership with the NCCRI and shows that even those with good English can sometimes struggle to understand what is being said to them in situations where they are ill or under other forms of stress. The research was carried out by Farrell Grant Sparks, the UK National Centre for Languages and the University of Essex.
Many service providers in Ireland now provide interpretation services. However there are no written regulations or legislation governing the industry in Ireland; nor is there an adequate framework of interpreting qualifications. The industry is characterised by a number of private agencies and large number of freelance interpreters and translators. There are no official figures on the numbers of interpreters or translators operating in the market. There are indications that the quality of interpretation and translation varies considerably, with some very good practitioners and others who are largely untrained and who lack qualifications and adequate experience. This means standards and provision in Ireland are a best uneven and changes are needed to both improve this picture.
While it is inevitable that there will be a focus on the cost of such services, there has been a tendency for previous debate/focus to only focus on the cost issue without looking at why such services are needed, what standards should be put in place, and how standards can be monitored and enforced (see below)
Of course, costs are also important and while it is difficult to be definitive about the total amount spent on interpretive services in Ireland, one Government Service Provider alone spends in the region of €3m per annum and there are many key providers that are spending between €1 and €2 million per annum. These services are essential but with better coordination between service providers and sharing of services there is potential to make interpretative services in Ireland more cost effective.
Changes for the future are likely to include developing a code of practice and accreditation standards for professional interpreters and translators and learning from practice examples in other countries especially in respect of provision, accreditation, qualifications, and standards; performance and quality monitoring. The better provision of ‘out of hours’ services will also be a major focus of future improvement.
Background
There has been an unprecedented rise in the number of people whose nationality is not Irish now living in Ireland, up to 413,000 or 10% of the population according to the last Census, although the actual numbers are likely to be higher.
According to the 2006 Census, EU countries accounted for 66% of the population whose nationality was not Irish. The UK accounted for 27% and three new EU member states accounted for 21% (Poland with 15%, Lithuania with 6% and Latvia with 3%). People from Asia accounted for 11% of the population whose nationality was not Irish, and Africa accounted for 8%. An estimated 200 languages are spoken in Ireland;
As a consequence of growing diversity in Ireland there are challenges for key service providers particularly in employment, health, policing, housing and education to ensure that their services are inclusive to all.
Key Findings
Key areas of service provision were identified for the purposes of this research - Moving to Ireland; Engaging in the Labour Market; Accessing Education; Interacting with the Justice System; Accessing Health, Housing; and Emergency services. The majority of Government service providers in these areas did not report providing professional interpreting services on a systematic basis. Where it is reported to us as being provided, it is primarily in the area of immigration, policing and the judiciary, and health.
There was general consensus among service providers (Government), service users (people with low proficiency in English) and other stakeholders on the key issues and weaknesses in the current approach, namely:
- the lack of quality checking, or the means to do it;
- the absence of a coherent overall policy and approach;
- the lack of appropriate training for staff; and
- the lack of awareness of availability of services among potential service users.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The research finds that best practice international models for interpreting and translating services share certain minimal requirements, including the existence of policies, standards and training, as well as promotion of services to end users; all of which are largely absent in Ireland, leading to variability in quality, a lack of coherence across Government, gaps in service, a lack of professional advisory services, a lack of training, and poor pay and conditions of employment in the sector. All of these impact on service quality and delivery.
Specific recommendations to remedy this situation include the development of a national policy framework for the provision of interpreting and translating services, in conjunction with Government service providers and with other stakeholders. Also, the development of a register of accredited practitioners which Government service providers would use to source interpreting and translating service providers - work would need to be done with the education and training sectors in order to develop the standards which would underpin the register. It is also recommended that standards of service provision (e.g. including a code of practice) should be established, to which Government service providers would subscribe.
The research recommends a small, professional unit could be created to undertake this work; in particular to provide promotion and awareness services to service users; provide professional advisory services to Government service providers; monitor trends in supply and demand and providing advice to government on coherence across services; monitor compliance with standards; develop a pilot test for a telephone, emergency and out-of-hours service which could service the needs of multiple Government service providers.
Next Steps
The authors recommend that the outcomes from the research should be considered by the NCCRI and by the Office of the Minister for Integration. We look forward to working with Government to progress the recommendations from this report in order to improve equality of access and outcomes for people with low proficiency in English in their interaction with key Government services.
Countering the Arguments Used Against Having Interpretive Services
There are generally 2 arguments used to say that interpretation services are not needed. These are countered as follows:
1. It costs too much
Not using a qualified, professional interpreter can actually be more expensive than using one. Not having an interpreter can lead to excess time being spent with clients due to communication difficulties. For example, in a health care setting, there have been examples of people who were not provided with an Interpreter returning to see their GP on numerous occasions and going through various treatments until their condition was addressed. Government service providers also expose themselves to risk and litigation by not using qualified, professional interpreters in certain cases. For example, in a medical setting there is a potential for misdiagnosis, misunderstanding and non-consent to examination, treatment or care if an interpreter is not used. In a legal setting, people’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights can be breached by failure to use an interpreter.
All of this is notwithstanding the fact that a significant number of people requiring interpreting and translation services are migrant workers who, as several research papers have indicated, have paid significant taxes and made an important contribution to the Irish economy.
2. People should learn English
Many migrants to Ireland speak English / some English or attend English language classes; however, for some people, this does not necessarily mean they have sufficient English to interact effectively with Government bodies; this is particularly true in stressful and critical situations, for example in a health care or justice setting when people’s ability to speak a foreign language can deteriorate. Also, more specialised vocabulary used in certain settings can be unfamiliar and cause confusion.
For Further Information contact Philip Watt, Director 087 6370557 or 01 8588000
