The use of interpreters in psychotherapy

Globalisation has resulted in the world becoming a much smaller place. Increasingly, English speaking nations have become culturally diverse and many clients who seek psychotherapy in English speaking countries do not speak fluent English. The ideal situation is for clients to be treated in their native language by psychotherapists who speak the same language fluently and understand the client's culture. However, this is not always possible and thus interpreters can be used to enable communication between psychotherapists and clients. Nadine Pelling examines the role of interpreters and the impact on the process of psychotherapy of interpreter factors such as accuracy and errors, interpreter foci and the different types of interpretation. Practical suggestions about how to maximise the use of interpreters in psychotherapy and counselling are offered. (editor abstract)