Technology affordances in training interpreters for asylum seekers and refugees

The promotion of social and legal inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees can be greatly enhanced by providing specific training to those called upon to facilitate smooth communication between them and the relevant authorities to overcome linguistic-cultural barriers, i.e., interpreters in the field, also called humanitarian interpreters. These particularly sensitive settings are often deprived of properly trained language professionals, which jeopardises the asylum seekers’ and refugees’ rights to access public services and fair treatment in their dealings with the relevant authorities. The lack of trained language professionals is mainly due to a shortage of specific training on humanitarian interpreting and the language pairs required for interactions with refugees applying for international protection. Building on our expertise gained through one particular blended course with untrained interpreters working for refugee status determination bodies in Italy, this chapter illustrates the design of a conceptual and pedagogical solution based on innovative educational approaches and digital technologies for synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning. This solution may apply to all language-pairs to meet humanitarian interpreters’ challenges and needs.