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Article published In:
Interpreting
Vol. 24:1 (2022) ► pp.84–110

Video remote interpreting for home-based cognitive assessments

Stakeholders’ perspectives

 | National Ageing Research Institute | La Trobe University
 | National Ageing Research Institute | Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
 | National Ageing Research Institute | University of Melbourne
 | University of Melbourne | The Royal Melbourne Hospital
 | National Ageing Research Institute | RMIT University
Many health and social care services are implementing video remote interpreting (VRI) to deal with supply shortages and high costs of language interpreting for linguistically diverse clients. This qualitative study examines stakeholders’ perspectives on using VRI for home-based cognitive assessments, which are routinely performed with older people during aged care assessments in Australia. We conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with clients, assessors and interpreters in Melbourne and a regional Victorian city. We found that across stakeholder groups participants usually regard VRI as an acceptable alternative to face-to-face interpreting when the latter is not possible. Freelance interpreters said VRI saved on travel time and expenditure and afforded them financial and practical benefits that enabled them to better meet the high demand for their work. However, stakeholders also pointed to the limitations of VRI, including technical challenges, sound and video quality, and difficulties with positioning equipment optimally during interviews. The assessors and interpreters agreed that VRI was inappropriate when clients are known to be cognitively impaired, and that face-to-face interpreting is necessary to support these clients and ensure assessment accuracy. We suggest that plans by health or social care services to replace face-to-face interpreting with VRI should be balanced against the needs of clients and any impacts on professional practice.
Keywords: video remote interpreting, aged care assessment, cognitive assessment, qualitative research, freelance interpreters
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Interpreting for aged care assessments in Australia
    • Challenges with accessing interpreters
    • User perspectives on video remote interpreting
  • Method
    • Participant recruitment
    • VRI equipment
    • Qualitative data collection
    • Data analysis
  • Findings
    • The acceptability of VRI
      • Connection quality
      • Background noise and poor lighting
      • Positioning
      • Professional distance
    • Appropriateness of VRI for cognitive assessments
      • Differences between testing tools
      • Arriving without an interpreter
      • The device as a distraction
      • Briefings
    • Does VRI improve interpreter access and availability?
      • Less travel
      • Meeting the demand for interpreters
  • Discussion
    • Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • Ethics
  • References
Published online: 11 August 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.00065.gil
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