Interpreting the Interpreter: Navigating Translation, Interpretation and Mediation

The author argues that interpreters in qualitative research are not mere linguistic translators but active mediators who influence data through their social positioning and cultural knowledge. Using fieldwork from Bosnia-Herzegovina, the paper highlights how the 'hybrid parole' created by interpreters can provide deep insights into trauma and power dynamics, while also warning of the ethical and psychological toll on interpreters who translate traumatic experiences. The author advocates for a more nuanced approach to interpreter selection, training, and debriefing to enhance the validity and ethics of cross-cultural research.

• The author identifies a gap in psychological and social science methodological literature, which often assumes a shared language between researcher and interviewee and tends to view interpreters as problematic threats to validity who should remain 'invisible'.
• In sensitive contexts, such as interviews with survivors of sexual violence in armed conflict (SVAC) in Bosnia, the interpreter must act as a mediator rather than a neutral translator, improvising language to protect the interviewee's comfort and ethical safety.
• The use of interpreters creates a 'hybrid parole'—a constructed language unique to the interview setting—where the interpreter's choice of pronouns and terminology adds an analytical layer that reflects their own positioning relative to the trauma and sociopolitical context.
• The author emphasizes that interpreter selection should prioritize sociopolitical and cultural compatibility over mere language proficiency, suggesting that interpreters should be 'ethnical extensions' of the interviewee to build trust.
• Translating traumatic experiences can cause significant psychological distress to the interpreters themselves, as they may be reminded of their own war experiences or feel victimized by the stories of others, creating a strong ethical duty for researchers to provide structured debriefing.

APA

Skjelsbæk, I. (2014). Interpreting the Interpreter: Navigating Translation, Interpretation and Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2671ceca-779c-493b-8f4b-0284e787c253/Interpreting the interpreter Navigating translation interpretation and mediation.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Skjelsbæk, Inger. Interpreting the Interpreter: Navigating Translation, Interpretation and Mediation. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2014. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2671ceca-779c-493b-8f4b-0284e787c253/Interpreting the interpreter Navigating translation interpretation and mediation.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Skjelsbæk |first1=Inger |title=Interpreting the Interpreter: Navigating Translation, Interpretation and Mediation |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=July 2014 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2671ceca-779c-493b-8f4b-0284e787c253/Interpreting the interpreter Navigating translation interpretation and mediation.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{skjelsbk2014interpreting, author = {Skjelsbæk, Inger}, title = {{Interpreting the Interpreter: Navigating Translation, Interpretation and Mediation}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/2671ceca-779c-493b-8f4b-0284e787c253/Interpreting the interpreter Navigating translation interpretation and mediation.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }