Training video-interpreters for refugee languages in German-speaking countries

The massive influx of refugees into Germany and Austria since 2015 has generated huge demand for community interpreters covering languages such as Arabic, Kurdish, Dari, Farsi and Pashtu. While Switzerland is slightly less affected, the three German-speaking countries have an increasing need for interpreters working in languages which, from their perspective, are “languages of limited diffusion (‘rare’ or ‘emerging community languages’)” (Stern 2011: 499). These interpreters are rare and not readily available – either within or outside the existing associations that deal with the provision and placement of interpreters in these countries, namely the German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ), the Swiss Special Interest Group for Intercultural interpreters (INTERPRET) or the Austrian Interpreters’ and Translators’ Association (UNIVERSITAS Austria). Such scarcity demonstrates the necessity of pooling actual and potential human resources to supply distance services throughout German-speaking Europe. The proposed paper reports on a rapid skill acquisition initiative launched by Austria-based video-interpreting company SAVD in cooperation with the German BDÜ and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland. This initiative aims to train non-professional and semi-professional interpreters of “refugee languages” and make them available through a centralized provider pool and system of video-interpreters. The training on offer comprises a blended-learning programme spread over two weekends of face-to-face teaching, as well as webinar self-study and an examination day. The paper will present a brief overview of the training measures in place in the three countries, discuss key aspects of the specialized course that forms part of the above-mentioned initiative, including preliminary feedback of participants from a questionnaire survey, and consider insights gained from the extension of the initiative into Switzerland as part of a pilot project co-sponsored by the Swiss Federal Ministry of Health