Hazard communication through telephone interpreters during the pandemic in Spain: the case of COVID-19 tracer calls

ABSTRACT

This contribution addresses the telephone calls from coronavirus tracers to patients mediated by interpreters through the analysis of a series of real conversations during the communication of PCR tests results, hazards of this situation, hygiene instructions, lockdown orders, and related health issues. The focus will be on culture-related aspects of the communication related to the perception of risk and the asymmetry of knowledge, as reflected on the discourse of the tracers and the responses from patients (many of them immersed in situations of helplessness, unemployment, mental disorders, indigence or simply defiance against legal and health restrictions), as well as on the mechanisms that interpreters use to bridge communication. Critical incident analysis will be used as a methodological approach to select, analyse, and reflect on examples, to be able, not only to offer objective results about the characteristics of the discourse and the nature of the mechanisms used by interpreters, but also to provide criticism and suggestions for the interpreting practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Telephone interpreting
• tracer calls
• critical incident analysis
• perception of risk
• culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Comunidad de Madrid [CM/JIN/2019-040].

Notes on contributors

Raquel Lázaro Gutiérrez

Raquel Lázaro Gutiérrez is an Associate Professor at the University of Alcalá and teaches Medical Interpreting in the Master's Degree in Intercultural Communication and Public Service Interpreting and Translation. She has been a member of the FITISPos-UAH Research Group since 2001. She has participated in European research projects such as MHEALTH4ALL (2022-2025).

Gabriel Cabrera Méndez

Gabriel Cabrera Méndez is a professional Translator and Interpreter, and an Associate Professor at the University of Alcalá. He is responsible for the Interpreting Quality Department at Dualia Teletraducciones as a professional external auditor since 2011. He has been working in telephone interpreting as his main professional activity since 2004. Member of the Spanish Association of Trainers, Researchers and Practitioners of Public Service Translation and Interpreting (AFIPTISP), expert on ISO standardization group for Translation and Interpreting and member of FITISPos-UAH research group.