Interpreting for refugees: Lessons learned from the field

This chapter draws on relevant theory in the area of interpreting, with a particular focus on working with refugees, supplemented by the real-life experiences of field interpreters active during two refugee crises in the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia. Tackling the question of the discrepancy between the prescribed neutrality of interpreters and their real-life experience, the article will look at the different modes of work for interpreters for refugees in emergency situations, especially in three settings: interpreters as quasi-mediators, shuttle interpreters, and as agents for empowering the vulnerable. The analysis draws on aspects of the intersection between translation theory and mediation theory. In all three modes, it is important to place emphasis on specialised training to perform interpreters' particular duties.