Reconstructing the neutrality and objectivity tenet in community interpretation : the case of Syrian refugees Lebanon

Abstract

During and after the war in Syria which erupted in 2011, the Syrian mobility has seen a rapid, large-scale outflow into neighboring countries with Lebanon being on the list of countries to host the largest numbers of Syrian refugees (SR). Many among them ended up living in refugee camps where conditions were and still are dire; consequently, they seek migration through refugees’ human agencies and foreign embassies in Lebanon. In light of this situation, community interpreting services have become increasingly required and immigration agencies subsequently have reached out to the Community Interpreter (CI) as an intermediary in the bilingual interviews for refugees who seek resettlement in countries outside Lebanon. Although some attention has been directed towards the role of the CI in similar refugee interviews and from several perspectives, the main focus has been on the controversial question of the neutrality and objectivity tenet. Studies have rarely attempted to approach this question from a psychological perspective. This thesis aims at investigating the role of the CI in interpreter-mediated refugee interviews with a particular emphasis on role conflicts and expectations of the SR’s psychological state.