Abstract
According to statistics from the Refugee Processing Center and UNHCR, as of March 2021, the United States is home to 3,457,600 or more of the world’s 79.5 million refugees. This number may exponentially grow as environmental factors and climate change take their toll on humans across the globe. Recently alarm has sounded internationally, concerned with these changes which may result in millions more environmental and climate refugees. As a result, the United States must prepare for a large possible influx of these kinds of persons in the future. This study focused on interpretation services utilized by human service providers working at refugee resettlement organizations around Sacramento, California: a city with many refugees. Providers completed an online questionnaire asking about their current practices, challenges, considerations, and thoughts about working with interpreters for refugee clients. The survey also inquired about their perceived roles of the interpreter and the most needed areas for interpretation. The results were that most human service providers in Sacramento are practicing in line with current practices from the literature. These practices include but are not limited to briefing the interpreter before the session, not letting the interpreter answer on behalf of the client, using first-person pronouns, using open-ended questions over closed-ended questions, and guiding side conversations. They also reported considering the interpreter’s cultural background, experience, and gender. The only significant lapse in service was applying trauma-informed practices, as many reported not considering the interpreter’s possible trauma. The most prominent challenge was the lack of access to interpreters. Providers also shared a range of new practices, not currently in the literature around clear communication to the client, practices around understanding the client, ethical considerations, applying ethical practice, and preparing for logistical difficulties. The latter, along with other practices also serve as a foundation of emerging practices in response to COVID-19 shutdowns starting March 2020. Findings from this descriptive study is groundbreaking as it confirms a range of best practices for interpretation and uncovers room for additional inquiry. Future qualitative studies using interviews and observations will provide more in-depth and personal accounts that give further understanding of this important topic.