Remote interpreting in healthcare settings

Ondertitel:a comparative study on the influence of telephone and video link use on the quality of interpreter-mediated communication

In interpreting, the introduction of technologies enabling Remote Interpreting (RI) has profoundly changed the ways in which interpreting services are being delivered. Whereas interpreting was traditionally carried out face-to-face (F2F), contemporary communication channels allow for distance interpreting by means of telephone (Telephone Interpreting, TI) or video link (Video Interpreting, VI). At the same time, in response to growing immigration flows, RI methods are increasingly being welcomed to enable, for example, access to healthcare. Whereas clinical research on RI has reported predominantly positive results concerning its use, empirical research in other settings, such as legal contexts, has demonstrated that RI can affect the quality of interpreter-mediated communication. However, so far, in interpreting studies, no qualitative comparison of the three different interpreting methods (F2F, TI and VI) has been carried out. This doctoral thesis aimed at bridging this gap by investigating the effects of the use of RI on the quality of interpreter-mediated healthcare communication. Central to the research design were three series of simulated interpreter-mediated doctor–patient encounters, implemented by three different interpreters, a gynaecologist and a simulation patient. In each series, three different interpreting methods were used: F2F, TI and VI. The sessions were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively to examine the frequency of miscommunication and the role of technological factors in the occurrence and repair of miscommunication. The results of these analyses were triangulated by the findings from the participants’ quality assessment, collected by means of thirty post-simulation interviews. The results of the quantitative analyses across the three series of simulations showed large variances in the frequency of miscommunication, which seemed to be closely linked to average turn duration. Therefore, the impact of the remote conditions was primarily indirect. Nevertheless, the qualitative analyses indicated that there were salient differences in the ways in which miscommunication occurred and interaction was managed between the RI methods and the F2F method. The impact of technological factors such as sound quality issues or loss of internet connection on communication quality was largely determined by the competences of the individual interpreters, as well as by the interactional behaviour displayed by the doctor and the patient. These insights in the challenges of the use of RI methods are highly relevant for all users to anticipate and overcome potential communication problems, as well as for interpreter trainers and other stakeholders involved, such as dedicated RI platforms and healthcare policy makers.

Jaar van publicatie:2020

Trefwoorden:Doctoral thesis

Toegankelijkheid:Closed