Researcher would like to talk to interpreters who have worked with asylum seekers

Dear ITIA interpreters,

I am a final year student of Interpreting at the University of Mainz (FASK Germersheim) in Germany. I am currently in Dublin, researching for my final dissertation on Community Interpreting in Ireland. I am going to concentrate on interpreting for asylum seekers.

I am writing to you because I am looking for interpreters working in this field (in any language) who would like to share their experiences with me. It would be of immense interest and help for me to talk to some of you about community interpreting in Ireland in general, and especially about the area of asylum seekers.

I will be looking at the issue from all perspectives: service providers, asylum seekers, and most importantly, interpreters. I would like to find out about your experiences regarding awareness about the importance of using professional interpreters as opposed to family members, service providers' attitude towards interpreters and the use of interpreting, problems arising during the interpreting situation, your experiences regarding different authorities (immigration, health care, legal, garda, etc.), and also more general questions, for example the lack of undergraduate courses in interpreting in Ireland, and so on.

Finding out what the interpreters themselves think about the situation of community interpreting in Ireland one of the core aspects of my dissertation and I would appreciate your help very much. I can meet you whenever and wherever suits you best for a short interview. It would not take up much of your time but it would be of immense help for me.

Please contact me per e-mail ( DoertheW@hotmail.com ) or by phone (086-8924285 ) if you are interested in sharing your experiences with me.

Thank you very much for your time.

Kind regards,

Doerthe Woltermann