Executive Summary
Background
1. The research was commissioned to take forward the work of the Translating, Interpreting and Communication Support Group established by the Scottish Executive in 2000. The purpose of the study was to give policy-makers a picture of the services that are currently available and indicate what actions are needed to help develop the provision of future services. The study's central aim was to examine the provision of translating, interpreting and communication support ( TICS) within the public services in Scotland.
About the Study
2. The research investigated the practice of providing TICS support to users of spoken languages other than English and to members of the Deaf community, including Deafblind people. It examined TICS provision as viewed by TICS providers and by the public sector bodies ( PSBs).
3. The study collected information from TICS providers across Scotland and from TICS providers based outside Scotland if providing a significant service in Scotland. It also collected information from PSBs in city, urban and rural areas across Scotland and in a range of sectors, including legal service, health, social services, housing, employment, education, local authority services, etc.
4. The first phase of the study carried out an audit of TICS provision in Scotland by telephone interview, surveying 85 TICS providers and 108 PSBs at grassroots level. The second phase collected more detailed information by conducting face to face interviews with 11 TICS providers and 17 PSBs at policy level.
5. Data collection took place between February and December 2004.
Main Findings
Pattern of demand for TICS services
6. Although a wide range of TICS services was available, the main focus was on interpreting practices and provision. This was because of the more obvious and immediate nature of the need for interpreting support. Since limited funding from PSBs tended to be allocated to the most pressing needs, translation or other types of communication support might not necessarily receive the same level of assistance or adequate provision.
Awareness of needs
7. There was lack of awareness on the part of PSBs of the needs of certain user groups. These included people who combined several communication needs, such as a non-English language speaker with learning needs, a foreign sign language user, or a bilingual person who had lost the ability to communicate in English, their second acquired language, due to aging or dementia. In some settings, the TICS needs of the immediate service-user's wider family or community also needed to be taken into consideration.
8. There was currently a low take-up of translations available on request because users did not know what was available. It was predicted that demand for translating would grow as PSBs became more aware of the need to provide access to translated documents and as public service users became better informed of their right to access this material.
Service provision
9. Many participants in the research acknowledged the lack of joined-up thinking and disparity in service provision across Scotland.
10. PSBs suggested that there were 4 levels of interpreting. These were face to face interpreting provided by trained professionals, telephone interpreting, provision by in-house staff and provision by family, friends or members of the local community. There was still a significant reliance on untrained provision by the last two groups and by volunteers, especially for people with a visual impairment.
11. There was a significant shortage of trained interpreters working in certain languages and in specific domains or locations. Sometimes it was difficult to match interpreters to clients as required.
Data collection
13. Collection of data was not systematic and led to various anomalies in the reported demand for TICS. As many clients were booking their own interpreters, the bookings for services received from PSBs did not match the bookings actually made through TICS providers. In addition, heavy reliance on informal provision and subsequent lack of recording tended to disguise the actual need.
Quality Control
14. With rare exceptions, procedures for quality control and assessment, as well as police checks, were patchy or non-existent. PSBs tended to trust TICS providers to make sure that these were carried out or assumed that this had been done. Only 15% of spoken language providers, for example, carried out a Disclosure Scotland check on their staff.
Job Status
15. TICS provision in the public sector was often associated with low status and lack of career prospects. There were poor working conditions, no retainers paid and little job security. Services were often provided by volunteers or provided part-time by people with other jobs as there seemed to be no future in this field as a career.
New work methods
16. New technology, such as computer-aided translation, telephone and video interpreting, and alternative styles of working, such as relay interpreting, had not been adequately researched or quality-controlled.
Key Opportunities and Recommendations
17. This summarises the recommendations for action suggested by TICS providers and by PSBs.
Policy
18. There is a need for a language strategy for Scotland, a coherent TICS policy and sharing of information within PSBs and across the interface between different organisations.
Information requirements
19. Accurate and complete information on communication needs is required to inform policies in Scotland. The full communication spectrum needs to be considered. This covers over 100 languages, dialects, foreign sign languages and different ways of working and presenting material in English. More systematic collection of data regarding the demand and supply for TICs would help inform developments and track changes. It could also help identify trends in provision or gaps that are not being met.
Good practice
20. TICS providers and PSBs need to work together and developments need to be informed by feedback from end-users. Trainers and researchers must also be involved in the debate in order to contribute essential theoretical expertise.
21. BSL/English TICS provide examples of good practice across a wide range of indicators, such as providers' qualifications, quality control, professional framework, dispersal across Scotland and access to services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These tighter procedures should be adopted by all TICS providers.
22. Many stakeholders recommend the establishment of a Scottish certification or registration body for public service interpreters and translators, which may be inspired by models of existing provision, in particular BSL/English interpreting. This professional body could manage a register, act as a central point for information and resources, act as a repository for a bank of translated materials and evaluate agencies. The remit could be extended to include other aspects of communication support.
Training and development
23. There is a need for investment in the training of translators and interpreters. This should cover basic training, training in more specialised fields of work (legal, mental health) and professional skills ( e.g.chuchotage or whispering interpreting). Trained translators and interpreters should be re-trained to work specifically in public sector domains.
24. The profile of interpreting and translating in the public sector needs to be raised, and the barrier between this type of work and the higher status conference interpreting should be reviewed.
25. Front-line PSB staff also require a range of training. This needs to cover the TICS policies and procedures of their own organisations and managing all communication events requiring TICS.
26. Users of public services need to be made aware of their right to freeTICS support and the role and benefits of using trained providers.