Interpretation in Public Administration
Abstract
In 1998, the immigrants living in our region accounted for 0.7 % of the population, while today their numbers have risen to 6.8 %. On our streets and in our neighborhoods, we have become accustomed to living with them, but they often have difficulty understanding and making themselves understood.Speakers of more than 70 languages from all over the world have come seeking work, or sometimes fleeing war or conflict.
These immigrants often need to make use of public administration — health services, public services, the police, the judicial system — and, as mentioned, they do not understand and/or cannot make themselves understood because they don’t speak our language.European Parliament and Commission Directive 2010/64/UE states that in penal trials, assistance from professional interpreters is guaranteed, and the Spanish government has already approved the transposition of this directive, but nothing has changed in the region: we remain at the mercy of enterprises that
make use of interpreters who are not professionals.
