“Please make sure we don’t get this interpreter again” : Australian legal aid lawyers’ experience of working with interpreters

Abstract

Based on data obtained from semi-structured interviews with legal aid lawyers in Australia, this study examines lawyers’ experience of working with interpreters in confidential legal settings. These interviews focused on lawyers’ knowledge of the interpreting profession and their expectations of interpreting services. The findings show that lawyers overall possess a sound knowledge of how to work with interpreters, as evidenced in their recognition of the interpreter’s ethical role, their awareness of the need to accommodate the interpreter’s professional needs, and their ability to use various strategies to evaluate interpreting quality. In terms of lawyers’ expectations, they value interpreters speaking the right dialect, being patient, and complying with ethical requirements. The lawyers’ expectations of interpreting services are closely related to their professional goal. However, lawyers raise serious issues about telephone interpreting, including interpreters not working in a secure location and engaging in other activities during interpreting.