Interpreting Service Provision is Good Value for Money

Summary

Ingrid Piller speaks with Jim Hlavac about interpreting to bridge language barriers.

About 5% of the Australian population do not speak English or do not speak it well. In this conversation, Dr Jim Hlavac, an experienced interpreter and interpreting trainer, explains how professional interpreters, language mediators, and language brokers help to support fair and equitable access to healthcare and other forms of social participation.

We explore how interpreting works in practice in a hospital setting: who gets to interpret? How is the need for an interpreter identified? Who pays? What is the role of policy vis-à-vis bottom-up practice? Is the process the same for all languages?

The conversation closes with the million-dollar question: will AI take interpreters’ jobs?

For additional resources, show notes, and transcripts, go here

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Ingrid Piller

Ingrid Piller is Distinguished Professor of Applied Linguistics at Macquarie University, Sydney. Her research expertise is in intercultural communication, language learning, multilingualism, and bilingual education.

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