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Interpreting in Legal and Healthcare Settings: Perspectives on research and training
Edited by Eva N.S. Ng and Ineke H.M. Crezee
[Benjamins Translation Library 151] 2020
► pp. 313–342

Chapter 13
Relational, situational and discourse features of mental health interactions

Perspectives from interpreters

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This chapter addresses the paucity of interpreter-focused studies in mental health interpreting and presents the voices of spoken-language interpreters reporting on relational, situational and discourse features of the speech of interlocutors with whom they work. Responses from 10 interpreters are presented on pre-interactional contact and briefing, physical configuration of setting, discourse of mental health clinicians, and discourse of mental health patients. Despite guidelines to both clinicians and interpreters, occurrence of a pre-interaction briefing is variable. An equidistant position to other interlocutors is the most common configuration. Descriptions of discourse relate to pace of speech, brevity, clinicians’ alignment with patients, with the physiological, emotional and psychological state of patients listed as challenging features. Code-switching as an unmarked speech variety but also as a conspicuous feature relevant to diagnosis is also reported.

Keywords: mental health interpreting, doctor-patient discourse, discourse studies and translation, interpreter performance, medical interpreting
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research on mental health interpreting
    • 2.1The perspective of interpreters
    • 2.2Relational and situational features of mental health interactions
      • 2.2.1Briefings
      • 2.2.2Physical positioning
    • 2.3Discourse features of mental health interactions
      • 2.3.1Discourse of mental health professionals
      • 2.3.2Discourse of patients
  • 3.Methodology and data sample
  • 4.Presentation and discussion of data
    • 4.1Relational and situational features
      • 4.1.1Briefings
      • 4.1.2Physical configuration
    • 4.2Discourse styles used in mental health interpreted interactions
      • 4.2.1Mental health professionals’ speech: ‘predictable’, ‘manageable’ or ‘easy’ features
      • 4.2.2Mental health professionals’ speech: ‘Unpredictable’, ‘hard to manage’ or ‘difficult’ features
      • 4.2.3Patients’ speech: ‘Predictable’, ‘manageable’ or ‘easy’ features
      • 4.2.4Patients’ speech: ‘Unpredictable’, ‘hard to manage’ or ‘difficult’ features
  • 5.Findings and conclusions
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 3 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.151.13hal
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