Working with interpreters across language and culture in mental health

Abstract

Background: Mental health professionals need to be able to work effectively with interpreters to promote good clinical practice and ensure equality of access and service delivery as well as meet the requirements of European law. The process offers practitioners an opportunity to enrich their understanding of the diverse idioms of distress, cultural constructions and explanatory health beliefs.

Aims: This paper draws upon the literature and clinical accounts to provide a set of positive practice guidelines on working with interpreters in mental health.

Method: Key indicator words for the literature review were “interpreters and mental health” and “language and mental health”. Papers that related purely to linguistic theory, cultural theory, or sign language interpreting were not included. To assist with triangulation of the data the authors also drew upon accounts of support and supervision groups for interpreters and bicultural workers, expert panels on the topic, training programmes and published guidelines for interpreters and clinicians.

Results and Conclusions: Mental health services around the world need to be accessible, inclusive, appropriate and accord with best practice and national legislation. The paper reviews opportunities and challenges in working with interpreters in mental health services and offers some positive practice guidelines for clinicians based on the available literature.

Declaration of interest: None.

Keywords:

• Interpreters
• bicultural
• mental health
• positive practice