Professional identities of cultural interpreters
What is it about?
Cultural interpreters often tell stories that showcase the complexities involved when interpreting with Aboriginal patients. These stories highlight the multiple roles that interpreters adopt. The way that the cultural interpreters position themselves in these stories becomes a vehicle for constructing their professional identities.
Why is it important?
The findings show that story telling is a vehicle for discovering who we are, and making sense of our world. The exchange of stories enables cultural interpreters to contribute their understandings of the complexities of interpreting in healthcare settings and the need for: a) education and training for trainee interpreters and doctors of the varied positions, storylines and worldviews that people bring to an interpreting event; b) governments to officially expand the role of the professional interpreter.