Drawing back the curtain: managing learning opportunities across two linguistic worlds, when the quality of interpretation is poor

We believe trans-national social work education should be based on collaborative learning. Trans-national educational projects are frequently dependent on communication using interpreters. Effective interpretation is crucial if an exchange of knowledge, values and skills is to occur within a learning situation. In a recent article, we explored some of the issues and dilemmas faced by social work educators when working through interpreters in the context of trans-national social work education. We concluded with a code of practice for interpretation. This code of practice was predicated upon the assumption that the quality of interpretation was good. However, how should social work educators respond when the quality of interpretation is weak? This article considers ways in which poor interpretation impedes an exchange of ideas between educators and learners. We analyse the issues for both educator and learner, using Kolb's model of learning. The second part of the paper explores ways in which these issues can be addressed, in order to first enable collaborative learning to take place and second to promote a climate of learning that empowers learners and models anti-oppressive practice.