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Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613983029067776 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Benjamin, Ereshia |
| author2 | Swartz, Leslie |
| author_browse | Benjamin, Ereshia Swartz, Leslie |
| author_facet | Swartz, Leslie Benjamin, Ereshia |
| author_sort | Benjamin, Ereshia |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134516 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:44:48.111Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134516 Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa Benjamin, Ereshia Swartz, Leslie Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Department of Psychology. Translators -- South Africa -- Psychology Communication in medicine -- South Africa Health services accessibility -- South Africa Translanguaging (Linguistics) Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Benjamin, E. 2025. Beyond Technicalities – An In-depth Exploration of the Experiences of Trained Interpreters Working in Health Facilities in South Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/a13a57ad-9978-4971-b1a8-f9bb7d8904dd ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation, I set out to explore the experiences of trained community interpreters working in health settings in South Africa, that go beyond the technicalities of interpreting such as linguistic competence and fidelity. I believe that issues of language in the South African context cannot be examined without a consideration of the relationship of language to subjectivity which includes, inter alia, socio-political, cultural and professional identity; the experience of “languageness” and multilingualism; issues of power; life experience; emotion; memory and trauma. I employed two major methodological approaches – language portraits and the free association narrative interview - to accomplish this, with the aim of contributing to the burgeoning knowledge of local challenges and solutions to issues of language access in our healthcare institutions. I completed language portrait workshops and in-depth individual narrative interviews with 13 community interpreters employed in healthcare settings in the Western Cape. I believe that this yielded rich data that provided insight into three major spheres of experience in the work of the interpreters, i.e. the experience of their languageness, their experience of interpreting (including the interpreter triad) and their experience of their work environment. I considered the emotional impact suggested by these experiences, drawing on psychoanalytic concepts to deepen our understanding of these experiences. The findings suggest that the experiences of the community interpreters in this study, are complex, challenging, and dynamic; offering physical, cognitive and emotional experiences that can be contradictory and expansive; and hold opportunities for survival, validation and growth. The community interpreters in this research appear to be active agents in their work environment. The narratives suggest that they are engaged and thoughtful, and have a sophisticated understanding of their role, their contribution to health communication and therapeutic relationships, and the emotional impact of the role on themselves. The narratives suggest that they are more than conduits of language and perform complex and nuanced roles, including communication specialists, care providers and healthcare user advocates. Furthermore, I suggest in this dissertation that community interpreters can make important contributions to the healing function of our healthcare institutions, through their agency and openness to complex inter-personal and possible intra-personal experiences which enhance their soothing and consoling capacities. The findings suggest, though, that their contribution is at risk of attrition if the position of the interpreters within the system is not attended to, and if they are not provided with adequate training and support to enable them to remain engaged in their work. The data also hinted at the lived experiences of our healthcare system by Indigenous language speakers, and I offer detailed practice, training, policy, and research recommendations to strengthen community interpreting within the South African healthcare context. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Doctoral 2025-12-11T14:04:33Z 2025-12-11T14:04:33Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134516 en Stellenbosch University 367 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Translators -- South Africa -- Psychology Communication in medicine -- South Africa Health services accessibility -- South Africa Translanguaging (Linguistics) Benjamin, Ereshia Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title | Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title_full | Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title_short | Beyond technicalities – an in-depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in South Africa |
| title_sort | beyond technicalities an in depth exploration of the experiences of trained interpreters working in health facilities in south africa |
| topic | Translators -- South Africa -- Psychology Communication in medicine -- South Africa Health services accessibility -- South Africa Translanguaging (Linguistics) |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134516 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benjaminereshia beyondtechnicalitiesanindepthexplorationoftheexperiencesoftrainedinterpretersworkinginhealthfacilitiesinsouthafrica |