Interpreted investigative interviews: What do interpreters want police investigators to know?

This presentation discusses police investigative interviews and procedural justice. Procedural justice encompasses neutrality, which refers to the absence of bias, particularly in police dealings with minority groups. Interpreters play an essential role in facilitating communication between the police and people who are not proficient in the language. Yet research findings suggest that interpreters’ presence, behaviour, and interpreting choices can impact negatively on the fairness of police investigative interviews. This study explored the under-researched topic of interpreters’ experiences of police investigative interviews. Twenty community interpreters from diverse languages participated in interviews. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Interpreters’ accounts demonstrated the perception that effective interpreting is impeded both by practical issues within the investigative interviewing context, and by systemic issues in the structure of the interpreting profession. Practical implications to enhance the fairness of interpreted interviews include the need to understand the structure of the interpreting profession, and suggestions for working effectively with interpreters throughout the interpreting assignment.