WA interpreters for the State’s most vulnerable call for greater mental health support after ‘horror’ cases

A WA interpreter taken to the bedside of a shark attack victim had no prior warning of the horrific scene she would encounter. Japanese speaker Akiko Kunita is one of hundreds of interpreters and translators calling for greater protection from mentally harmful situations as the industry grapples with a mass exodus. “It was horrible. I went into the trauma unit in the hospital and I didn’t know who I was meeting up with. That wasn’t the only time, it happened a lot,” Ms Kunita said. The February attack in Jurien Bay by a two-metre tiger shark in waist-deep water left a Japanese woman on a sea lion tour with serious leg injuries. Interpreters say they are often “flying blind” as they’re thrown into difficult and complex situations which can range from murder cases, readings of wills, refugee disputes and rape or domestic violence interviews. “Because I didn’t know the situation. I couldn’t handle it well,” Ms Kunita said, adding there was also no debriefing offered after the job was complete. “Sometimes we don’t know until we go into the ward that someone is dying.” Professionals Australia WA director Tamarah Rowlands, who represents members in the sector, said common challenges included burnout, unrealistic expectations, disrespect, poor mental health protections, a lack of training and low pay. Ms Rowlands said interpreters were quitting in droves — with the union recording at least one person per week leaving the career. One Korean member was so traumatised from interpreting a sexual assault victim’s interview with police that she quit and moved abroad. She also required ongoing counselling. WorkSafe WA has launched an investigation into sector conditions to consider if any further actions need to be taken by the regulator after a formal request by the trade union. Their probe will initially focus on understanding what role interpreters play in State hospitals. However, the scope may extend to other high-stress areas, like the Department of Justice, Police, and Child Protection. Most interpreters are either sole operators or linked to small labour-hire firms. They’re part of the gig economy — receiving jobs by responding first to mass texts calling for a select linguistic expertise. Women, migrants, and older workers are over represented in the field. Often interpreters are the linchpin between doctors and patients, police and victims, or judges and perpetrators, which means they give linguistically diverse communities a voice in their most distressing moments. They also support voluntary-assisted dying patients, school students, visitors during diplomatic engagements, or aged care residents with dementia who have reverted to their home language and lost their ability to speak English. Fellow Japanese translator Heather Glass demanded an urgent overhaul, labelling the current hiring system a “shotgun approach to assigning work”. She likened the current communication model to a darker version of the improvised comedy TV show ‘Thank God You’re Here’. Ms Glass said minimal and insufficient alerts left interpreters unable to assess if they were competent or impartial before taking the role. In an email call out, obtained by The West Australian, details about the prospective job are scarce — showing only a brief description, location, priority level, and victim’s name. Polish-speaker Andrew Kozlowski said an exodus of Slavic interpreters was “concerning”. He warned police investigations and court cases could be delayed by the issue. “There’s not much support in this area and hospitals can feel the impact,” he said. Having lived in Australia for the past 15 years and worked across the immigration network, Arabic and Kurdish speaker Khalil Ibrahim Albawy says he’s been exposed to a raft of harmful situations. His last deployment to Nauru detention centre was in 2019. He has also served on Christmas Island and the now-closed Curtin Immigration Detention Centre. “They treat us like an object, honestly,” he said. “We are here today to stand for our rights. Enough is enough.” Global events which created migration waves often impact demand, according to Ms Glass. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and thousands of humanitarian visas were granted to Ukrainians there was a surge in jobs, however, WA often only had Russian speakers to respond. Portuguese and Italian interpreter Fabi Pinheiro, who is part of a younger cohort entering the sector, said she worried for the industry’s future as people were deterred by conditions. She described the booking process as “horrendous” and treatment of practitioners in hospitals as woeful. “There’s a lack of respect from people at the hospitals, they don’t actually see us as part of the care team,” she said. A WA Health spokesman said the department was “supportive of the WorkSafe investigation” and acknowledged the “critical role” interpreters and translators play in healthcare services. He claimed there were already a string of proactive measures in place to mitigate the risk of psychosocial harm to interpreters, including briefings before sessions, providing regular breaks, and debriefing opportunities. WA Health currently uses a range of services to meet patients’ language needs, which includes telehealth, their own pool of directly-employed qualified interpreters, and then independent contractors. “All major metropolitan hospitals have a language service coordinator. Their role is to manage and coordinate the booking of external interpreting and translating services,” he said. In the case of an emergency that immediately requires an interpreter when one can’t be reached, an accompanying adult, family member or friend, may assist in obtaining information for immediate diagnosis.