Forum on Interpreting in Healthcare

What’s on offer?

This free event for sector professionals is hosted by the Aston Interpreters Network (AIN) and targets Interpreting Services Managers Commissioners in healthcare in the Birmingham region. It highlights the importance of trained and qualified interpreters in improving equality in health outcomes. It is aiming to lay the foundations for best practice in interpreting exchange among local trusts.

What’s it about?

This event for sector professionals, organised by the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics, will highlight the importance of trained and qualified interpreters to achieve equality in health outcomes and will launch a local Forum for best practice exchange in interpreting. 

Research by the office for National statistics (2015) showed that 65% of people with limited or no English were in good health, vs 88% of proficient speakers of English. Low proficiency in English may prevent access to suitable healthcare, with a potential longer-term impact. 

Annex 2 of the Guidance for Commissioners: Interpreting and Translation Services in Primary Care NHS England (September 2018) states that BSL interpreters should hold a BSL level 6 or an honours degree, in line with NRCPD (National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People) registration requirements. Spoken language interpreters should be registered with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) and hold a [Level 6] Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Health), but bilinguals with a NVQ level 3 in interpreting and training in medical terminology may be acceptable in the absence of a DPSI.

In practice, healthcare services often commission private companies that may overlook this guidance  or employ remote interpreters with no awareness of the local system, putting service users at risk.

Who’s leading the event?

The Aston Interpreters Network (AIN)
Dr Emmanuelle Labeau, Director of the Aston Centre for Applied Linguistics that hosts AIN
Dr Yvonne Fowler, Public Service Interpreters Trainer
Ms Rekha Narula, practising qualified interpreter with a specialism a.o. in healthcare

Open to

This event (sector professionals only) targets the interpreting services managers and commissioners of the healthcare trusts in the region.

Of particular interest to

Interpreting services managers and commissioners in healthcare

Event booking deadline