Child and Family Social Work
Volume 15, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 325-334

Asylum-seeking minors in interpreter-mediated interviews: What do they say and what happens to their responses? (Article)

Keselman O.* , Cederborg A.-C. , Lamb M.E. , Dahlström T.
  • a Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
  • b Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
  • c Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • d Swedish Institute for Disability Research, Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

Abstract

This study explored how asylum-seeking minors report information when formally interviewed. Twenty-six Russian-speaking minors (mean = 16.0 years of age) were individually interviewed by officials assisted by one of 18 interpreters. A qualitative analysis of the responses was used to develop categories that were then analysed quantitatively to elucidate characteristics of the questions asked by the officials, the minors' responses to them and the accuracy with which the minors' responses were rendered. The asylum-seeking minors distinguished themselves as active participants. They appeared eager to disclose relevant information despite being asked many potentially contaminating questions. Most of the children's responses were accurately rendered, but mistranslations can affect the fact-finding process substantially. Both the minors and the officials involved in the asylum-seeking process need to recognize that both the questions asked and the responses given may be influenced by the third parties involved, i.e. the interpreters. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Author Keywords

Asylum hearings Informativeness Information-seeking prompts Accuracy of translation

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77955193794&doi=10.1111%2fj.1365-2206.2010.00681.x&partnerID=40&md5=0ec244c36c3f8190716b4dd524509a20
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00681.x
ISSN: 13567500
Cited by: 12
Original Language: English