2014 International Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
National standards for
public service
interpreting – A joint
international cause?
November 5th, 2nd session 4pm- 6pm
Workshop 214 – Room White 05; Level -1
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
November 5 , 2 session 4pm- 6pm – WS214 – Room White 05; Level -1
th
nd
National standards for public service interpreting –
A joint international cause?
Organizers / Moderators
•
Katarina Heradstveit has for the last year been head of the section responsible for Public
Service Interpreting at the Directorate of Integration and Diversity
(IMDi) that functions under the Ministry of Children, Equality and
Social Inclusion. She is a sociologist and has since 1999 been
employed at IMDi. As an analyst and project leader she commissions
and follows up Research and Development studies and coordinates
Norway´s participation in an informal Nordic Network of integration
authorities. Katarina has been engaged in policy development
related to introductory programs for Newcomers, citizenship
ceremonies, diversity in work life and indicators of integration.
•
Leonardo Doria de Souza is a senior advisor at the Norwegian Directorate of Integration and
Diversity (IMDi), which is the national authority for public service interpreting. He has a
journalism background from his Brazilian hometown of Rio de Janeiro, and studied Human
Geography at the University of Oslo, Norway. After a period working as an interpreter, in 2006
Doria de Souza joined IMDi, where he is currently responsible for the administration and
development of the Norwegian Register of Interpreters, interpreters’ training and contact with
governmental bodies. Doria de Souza has also given several presentations on the Norwegian
model on qualification and organization of interpreting services in a number of European
countries.
Presenters:
•
Leonardo Doria de Souza, Directorate of Integration and Diversity, Norway – [email protected]
•
Lisa Kraft, Kammarkollegiet, Sweden - [email protected]
•
Liv Kolstad Zehouo, Directorate of Integration and Diversity, Norway – [email protected]
•
Keith Moffitt, Chartered Institute of Linguists, United Kingdom – [email protected]
•
Mette Rudvin, University of Bologna, Italy - [email protected]
Workshop description:
With the greater mobility of citizens and the ensuing flows of migrants and immigrants, there is no
reason to expect that communication problems within Public Service provision will decrease.
National standards specify the requirements for the provision of interpreting services of good
quality. In a dialogue-like interaction public service interpreting enables communication between
speakers of foreign languages and providers of crucial public services.
Workshop participants from Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and Italy will highlight the
challenges, pitfalls in the field and promote the importance of provision of high quality interpreting
through presentations of different national training, educational and certification systems and
national registers of interpreters. The workshop will provide a base of understanding concerning
interpreting services and will demonstrate that national standards are crucial to achieve
professionalization, secure individuals´ rights to equal treatment and services, and prevent
discrimination in ever growing multilingual societies.
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
November 5 , 2 session 4pm- 6pm – WS214 – Room White 05; Level -1
th
nd
Session 1 Public Service Interpreting - towards a better quality framework
Public Service Interpreting - the Norwegian case I - status and challenges
Increasing awareness of the importance of the quality of interpreting services raises the issue of the
importance of regulatory standards for these services. In addition to offering protection for users and
consumers, regulatory standards also formalize standards of work practice within a profession.
The Norwegian Model is organized around an open access web-based National Register of
Interpreters in the Public Sector. The National Register sets the quality standards for interpreting
services in Norway and includes five categories that represent different paths into the register.
The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) is the national authority for public service
interpreting in Norway. IMDi works with a number of initiatives aimed at interpreters, users of
interpreting services and government agencies. Nevertheless, IMDi’s role as an advisory body is
limited and calls for a more cooperative and awareness based approach towards government
agencies.
Based on IMDi’s work since its establishment in 2006, this paper will present the main challenges
faced by the directorate, and measures and results achieved in partnership with relevant
governmental and educational bodies and research institutes in Norway.
Doria de Souza, Leonardo
Leonardo Doria de Souza is a senior advisor at the Norwegian Directorate
of Integration and Diversity (IMDi), which is the national authority for public
service interpreting. He has a journalism background from his Brazilian
hometown of Rio de Janeiro, and studied Human Geography at the University
of Oslo, Norway. After a period working as an interpreter, in 2006 Doria de
Souza joined IMDi, where he is currently responsible for the administration
and development of the Norwegian Register of Interpreters, interpreters’
training and contact with governmental bodies. Doria de Souza has also
given several presentations on the Norwegian model on qualification and
organization of interpreting services in a number of European countries.
Public Service Interpreting - the Swedish case - status and challenges ahead.
Kammarkollegiet is a Swedish authority responsible for authorising interpreters and translators and
supervising their activities.
In Sweden thousands of discussions between representatives of the authorities and people who have
no command of Swedish or whose hearing is impaired are interpreted every day. The right to speak
one’s native language – be it Swedish, Sami, Arabic, sign language, etc. – is guaranteed by law in
Sweden, particularly when communicating with the authorities.
Kammarkollegiet co-operates with linguists, social scientists, legal experts and medical practitioners
in order to assess theoretical knowledge, language proficiency and practical skills required for
authorisation as an interpreter.
This paper will focus on the challenges of handling language specifics, recruitment of assessors as
well as meeting the massive need for qualified interpreters in society.
Kraft, Lisa
Born in 1977 and resident in Stockholm, Sweden, Lisa Kraft holds a Master’s
degree in Languages and Law from Stockholm University, Sweden, and has
since 2011 been employed by Kammarkollegiet (The Swedish Legal, Financial
and Administrative Services Agency), as a desk officer for authorization of
translators and interpreters. Kraft is engaged as a project manager for
developing a new exam format for authorizing interpreters (2014) and
translators (2015). Previously employed as a project manager for a
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
November 5 , 2 session 4pm- 6pm – WS214 – Room White 05; Level -1
th
nd
translation agency (2004-2011). In addition to her Master’s degree, Lisa Kraft has also studied Law at
the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli in Rome, Italy (2003), and
Linguistics at the Università degli Studi di Padova, Italy (2000).
Public Service Interpreting with a focus on legal interpreting – The Italian case.
Current status and challenges ahead. Implementation of a Comprehensive Training
Programme.
This paper describes the LEGAII project that has recently been implemented at the University of
Bologna with the aim of improving global language services in the legal setting in Italy in order to
promote the integration of migrants in Italy, to facilitate their access to public services, to encourage
active citizenship, and to safeguard the rights and safety of both migrants and the local community.
The LEGAII project aims to fill a vast gap in the Italian system by offering a training package for adhoc interpreters and language mediators of minority languages specifically working in the legal
sector, with a view to expanding the programme to other areas of public service interpreting. The
objective of the project is to offer a concrete model for policy-makers for a system of professional
certification and accreditation of qualified legal interpreters. The project takes account of the specific
parameters of Italian society: its immigration history, its lack of infrastructure and services to
provide for the language needs of non-Italian speakers, its lack of implementation of any
standardized training formats for interpreters and language mediators working in public services.
The project is a response to the European directive on Interpreting.
Rudvin, Mette
Mette Rudvin completed her studies at the universities of Oslo, Oxford and
Warwick and holds a PhD in Translation Studies. She has been teaching at
the University of Bologna since 1996, first as a contract lecturer at the
school for translators and interpreters (SSLiMIT) and subsequently as a
tenured researcher/lecturer at the Department of Modern Languages and
Literature (now LILEC). Dr Rudvin has taught a variety of subjects related
to English language, literature, translation and dialogue interpreting and
has published widely nationally and internationally, specializing over the
last decade or so in the field of Community Interpreting (and ‘Mediazione
Linguistica’). Her most recent co-authored books include a manual on teaching interpreting in the
workplace (Palgrave MacMillan), an edited volume on legal interpreting in Italy and a manual
(forthcoming) for legal interpreters. She is coordinating a Region-wide project on interpreting in the
legal sector in Italy (Legaii). She also works occasionally as a community and legal interpreter and
translator between Italian, English and Urdu.
Session 2 Towards a comprehensive organizational framework- recommendations and
lessons learned
Public Service Interpreting - status and challenges ahead in the UK, with particular reference
to interpreting in the criminal justice system
Under the previous widely respected arrangements, foreign language interpreters for the criminal
justice system (CJS) were primarily sourced from the National Register of Public Sector Interpreters
(NRPSI). Interpreters were booked and paid directly by CJS agencies. NRPSI is a fully independent
regulator of the profession run solely in the public interest, and its registrants include not only court
interpreters but also those working in areas such as health and social services.
In 2011 the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) awarded a contract for interpreting and translation services in
the CJS to a commercial agency, now Capita Translation and Interpreting. The rollout of this contract
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
November 5 , 2 session 4pm- 6pm – WS214 – Room White 05; Level -1
th
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in January 2012 had a serious impact on court interpreting, with many court hearings being
postponed or stopped, and many qualified legal interpreters boycotting the new system. This
situation has led to intense media coverage and highly critical reports by the National Audit Office
and two inquiries by parliamentary committees.
The presentation will include references to an independent report on the quality of court
interpreting commissioned by the MoJ.
Moffitt, Keith
Keith Moffitt BSc MCIL MITI DipTrans has been Chair of the Chartered
Institute of Linguists since 2012 and is a freelance translator and language
consultant specializing in French, German and Portuguese. During a 20-year
career with the National Coal Board he worked in International Relations and
European Union affairs, and was for six years Chairman of the United Nations
Working Party on Coal Trade. Keith is a governor of London’s City Literary
Institute, which has a major focus on language teaching, and has just
completed 20 years as a councillor on the London Borough of Camden, which
he led for four years, and takes a keen interest in interpreting in multilingual
communities.
Recommendations on a comprehensive organizational framework –
The Norwegian case II
The Interpreting Services Review Committee submitted a report to the Norwegian Government on
24 September this year. The Committee was asked to propose a coordinated and effective
organization of high quality public service interpreting.
The mandate of the Committee is based on the fact that while the Norwegian public authorities spend
substantial resources on interpreting services, the current use of resources is not necessarily
commensurate with the quality of the interpretation. Interpreters are under-used, qualification
requirements are lacking and there are poor procedures for booking interpreters. There is no
organised system for interpreting across the public sector. There is significant variation between
sectors when it comes to the general conditions for interpretation assignments, for example with
respect to hourly rates and the length of the assignments.
The report proposes a comprehensive framework for public interpreting services. The presentation
will include the main proposals.
Zehouo, Liv Kolstad
Liv Kolstad Zehouo is the head of the section responsible for Public Service
Interpreting at the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). She holds a
Master’s degree in French and a university-level training in interpreting from
the University of Oslo. Since 2005 Zehouo has been employed at IMDi. In 2009
she led a cross-sectoral working group that submitted proposal for guidelines
for the use of interpreters in the public sector. This past year she has been on
leave from IMDi to work in the Secretariat of The Interpreting Services Review
Committee.
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Metropolis Conference, Milan, Italy
November 5 , 2 session 4pm- 6pm – WS214 – Room White 05; Level -1
th
nd
Workshop schedule and timetable
Timeframe
16.00- 16.05
Session 1
16.05-17.00
Title
Welcome and introduction:
National Standards for Public Service Interpreting – a Joint
international Cause?
Katarina Heradstveit,
IMDi, Norway
Public Service Interpreting- towards a better quality framework
16.05- 16.20
The Norwegian case I - status and challenges
16.20- 16.35
The Swedish case - status and challenges
16.35 -16.50
Responsible
Leonardo Doria de Souza
IMDi, Norway
Lisa Kraft
Kammarkollegiet,
Sweden
Legal interpreting and the Implementation of a
Mette Rudvin, University
Comprehensive Training Programme in Italy - status and of Bologna, Italy
challenges
16.50 – 17.00
Comments and questions
17.00 – 17.10
Break
Session 2
17.10-18.00
Towards a comprehensive organizational framework – recommendations and
lessons learned
17.10 - 17.25
Status and challenges ahead in the UK, with particular
reference to interpreting in the criminal justice system
Keith Moffitt, Chartered
Institute of Linguists,
United Kingdom
17.25 – 17.40
Recommendations on a comprehensive organizational
framework – The Norwegian case II
Liv Kolstad Zehouo,
IMDi, Norway
17.40 - 18.00
Comments and questions
18.00 – 18.05
Concluding remarks
Subjects of a question:
- How to recruit assessors in languages of lesser diffusion, with the required skills and competences?
- How to standardize (interpreting) certification in non-written languages?
- How can a balance be struck between the need of governments to make savings during a time of
austerity and the need to maintain standards in public service interpreting?
- How can different measures, such as predefined rates for interpreting assignments and quality
requirements help to structure the market of interpreting services?
- In the absence of regulatory agencies, how can interpreters and users of interpreting services work
together towards a better quality framework?
- Should interpreting services be provided free of charge?
Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity
Postboks 8059 Dep
N-0031 Oslo
Norway
www.imdi.no
[email protected]
+47 24 16 88 00
Fact sheet - National Standards for Public Service Interpreting - a Joint International Cause?
Italy
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
60.782.668
4.922.085
Romania, Albania, Morocco,
China, Ukraine
5.050.000
593.300
Poland, Sweden, Pakistan,
Somalia, Lithuania
9.694.194
1.500.000
Syria, (Stateless), Somalia,
Poland, Afghanistan, Eritrea
64.105.700
7.780.000
Poland, India, Republic of
Ireland, Pakistan, Lithuania
Language mediation
Public service interpreting
Public service interpreting
Public service interpreting
Criminal Procedure Code, Civil
Procedure Code
Patients' Right Act, Courts of
Justice Act, Immigration Act,
Crisis Centre Act.
The Ordinance on
Authorisation of Interpreters
and Translators,
Swedish Code of Judicial
Procedure,
Administrative Court Procedure
Act,
Administrative Procedure Act,
Act concerning Confidentiality
for Certain Interpreters and
Translators,
Public Access to Information
and Secrecy Act.
Transposition into national
legislation of EU Directive
2010/64/EU
None
Directorate of Integration and
Diversity (IMDi)
Kammarkollegiet, The Legal,
Financial and Administrative
Services Agency
Ministry of Justice, Home
Office, Department of Health
(no single department)
Demographics
Population
Migrant population
Largest migrant groups (5)
Interpreting
Interpreting nomenclature
Interpreting Legislation
National authority
National Register
Language demand (Top 5)
Service providing
None
Romanian, Arabic, Albanian,
Spanish, Chinese
Private agencies and
associations
Yes
Yes
Yes
Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya, Polish, Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya, Polish, Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian,
Dari
Dari
Russian, Urdu
Public and Private agencies
Public and Private agencies
Public and Private agencies