Training

Communication between people with different mother tongues can be a source of misunderstanding. In the first instance, this is usually due to language problems. Only when the language problems have been solved can the dialogue partners further investigate which other differences (habits, values, ideas about what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour etc.) need to be bridged. This means that professionals dealing with foreign clients often have to learn to communicate through an interpreter.

Using an interpreter in a discussion is often a legal obligation: in most Western countries it is obligatory by law to use an interpreter in certain judicial and health matters. In the Netherlands use can be made in these particular situations of subsidised, quality controlled interpreting services through the Dutch Interpreter and Translation Centre (Tolk en Vertaal Centrum - www.tvcn.nl)

This obligation to involve interpreters (and translators) is founded in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The ECHR states that everyone who is arrested must be informed of the reason for that arrest and all accusations subsequently made against him, in a language which he or she understands. It also states that the accused has the legal right (free of charge) to the services of an interpreter if he or she does not understand or speak the language of the court. This is founded on the principle that any judicial process against a suspect who is not able to understand the proceedings and who does not have access to an interpreter is an unfair process.

In the health care sector guidelines are laid down in the ‘informed consent’ regulations stipulating that the consultant and the patient have to communicate in a language understood by the patient. In 2006 the Dutch Ministry of Health published the following guidelines for the use of interpreters in the industry:

• the health provider must communicate in a language which is understood by the patient
• the health provider is responsible for providing a professional interpreter
• health providers have the duty to become acquainted with the techniques involved in communicating through an interpreter and institutions offering care have a duty to train their health providers in these techniques

In our internationally oriented society, training in communicating through an interpreter should be obligatory for all professional health and service providers.

In other sectors of society there is no provision by law that interpreters must be brought in when communicating with people whose language they do not share. From the point of view of efficiency it would often be wise to engage an interpreter. The Ministry of Defence uses interpreters in foreign missions and also in development aid interpreters are used. In the media the regular use of interpreters by government officials and politicians is widely illustrated.

In the international business world interpreters are also often used in reconnaissance missions and in the daily work of expatriate employees. Often bilingual employees are used as interpreters, but being more of less bilingual does not make one into an interpreter!

Training and Workshops

offers theoretical workshops about multilingualism in the consulting room which include: theories about the relationship between language and thinking (monologism, dialogism, language relativity); psychological and political attitudes to multilingualism; the functions which multilingualism and code-switching can fulfil in therapy sessions. These workshops are intended for health psychologists, psychotherapists, clinical psychologists and other interested parties.

offers trainings for professionals who work with people whose language they do not share and who have to communicate through interpreters. Experience and research show that communicating through an interpreter is fundamentally different to single language communication on a number of points and poses its own particular set of problems. Discussion partners need to be well prepared in order to avoid misunderstandings and confusing situations. This training concentrates on what can be expected of an interpreter (general problems which arise during translating and interpreting), ways to cooperate with the interpreter and particular techniques to diminish communication problems (sentence constructions; the organisation of feedback; recycled questionings; etc).

considers that every training should be tailor made to fit the requirements of the client. Normally one half day session is sufficient to point out the usual problems which arise during bilingual dialogue and allows sufficient time for a presentation setting out the basic principles and techniques, using illustrations from research projects and practical examples. There is also time for questions and discussion. Depending on the customer’s requirements, the training can either be more theoretically or practically oriented. Two half day sessions would allow time for active training.

To prepare for a training session in the (mental) health care sector it is usually sufficient to conduct a preliminary discussion with the client - in other sectors some introductory research will be necessary to provide an optimal training.

is experienced in conducting training and workshops outside the Netherlands.