improving the quality of mental health interpreting in victoria

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Turner (2003) of the QTMHC developed a curriculum which builds from the work of Swartz
and others. Turner (2003) in his article, Working With Mental Health Interpreters, views
the ‘interpreter as a colleague’ model in the mental health setting as a very appropriate
model of interpreting in mental health settings.
Pollard (1998) at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester in the U.S.A.
developed a comprehensive curriculum titled Mental Health Interpreting: A Mentored
Curriculum. The course, comprising curriculum and videotape of interpreting vignettes and
facilitated workshops, is aimed at interpreters who occasionally or frequently work in
mental health service settings. The model espoused by Pollard (1998) is that of a mentortrainee
model, whereby the mentored-curriculum is designed for use in a learning setting
involving an interpreter-trainee and an experienced teacher or mentor setting.
The above-mentioned researchers and training providers offer developments in curriculum
and models for training and practice for interpreting in mental health settings. There are
other examples of current professional development sessions and workshops, which appear
to target more specific interpreter groups and work environments. For example, in the U.S.,
the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, offers a one-day
training session called “You Can’t Live It- You Can’t Live Without It” Mental Health
Interpreting 5 , which states that it is designed for interpreters experienced in interpreting in
the mental health setting, to introduce mental illness, mental health teams, settings and
treatment approaches as well as linguistic and interpreting issues, vicarious trauma, self
care and ethical considerations to interpreter trainees.
Also in the US, the University of Minnesota, has developed a Video Cassette Training
Program series with a single session focusing on Interpreting in refugee mental health
settings 6 . The brief (33minute) video provides an overview of the interpreter's role in mental
health care, detailing the kinds of skills that interpreters must have. The need for planning
language interpretation services is highlighted, with special focus on the risks involved in
using untrained interpreters, the complexities of the interpreting process, and the ethical
and interpersonal issues involved. The special aspects of interpreting in mental health care
settings are highlighted in contrast to interpreting in other settings.
Another targeted training program shows an attempt to meet the unmet demand for
interpreters in South East Asian language groups. The Twin Cities Interpreter Project (TCIP),
based in Minneapolis and St Paul, USA, presents a model of intensive training over 130
hours which resulted in a new cohort of South East Asian interpreters from varying
educational and linguistic starting points. This was achieved with a training team consisting
of health care professionals, accredited interpreters, ESL teachers and bilingual tutors. The
program aimed at improving speaking skills, explaining cultural differences, general and
clinical vocabulary building and providing an opportunity for engaging in the discourse of
mental health by actually experiencing mental health settings and getting to know the staff.
Standards of professionalism were reported as enhanced by providing a means of selfassessment,
together with opportunities to explore the role of interpreter and its ethical
implications (Schweda Nicholson, 1994).
5
Hamerdinger, S. (2005) Director of the Office of Deaf Services, Alabama Dept. of
Mental Health and Mental retardation. See:
www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/exceptionality/deaf/interpreters/training
6
Benhamida L, Downing B, Egli B, and Yao Z (1988), Video Cassette Training
Program: Interpreting in refugee mental health settings . University of Minnesota, USA.