Public Sector Interpreters Gain Official Recognition As Key Workers
The UK’s language service industryis, currently, facing rather uncertain and unprecedented times. The ATC (Association of Translation Companies) believes that self-employed translators and interpreters need to be better supported during this time of crisis as the deadly COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to the livelihood of self-employed language specialists. This is one of the reasons why the ATC calls for official key worker status for Public Sector Interpreters as they continue to provide their essential services during this virus outbreak.
What Is A Key Worker?
A key worker is a public or private sector employee who is considered to provide an essential service. In other words, key workers are crucial for the community as they are the ones who are required to work in order to keep the country together and running smoothly.
The ATC’s Call For Public Sector Interpreters To Be Recognised As Key Workers
The ATC has identified that Public Sector Interpreters are not specified in the government’s list of key workers. It is, nevertheless, mentioned that “the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector”, “those essential to the running of the justice system” and “police and support staff” are considered to provide a critical and essential service. When looking at the role of Public Sector Interpreters, however, their duties are, in fact, parallel with the government’s definition of the role of key workers in the wider community.
In response, the ATC, along with their public service stakeholders, has lobbied for the official recognition of Public Sector Interpreters as key workers in the UK. In collaboration with public service commissioning bodies and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, the ATC has now confirmed that healthcare, police, justice and border interpreters have been recognised as key workers. This classification of key worker status has been recognised by the Department of Health and Social Care, Police National Lead for Language Services, the Met Police, as well as by the Ministry of Justice. This highlights how public sector interpreters undertake critical work, enabling the country and its public services to continue running even during precarious times.
The Importance Of Public Sector Interpreters For The Community During COVID-19
The term “key worker” is synonymous to certain professions, such as doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, and supermarket workers. This is because these are the people who ensure that the country is well looked after and fed. However, it is imperative to also acknowledge the important work that Public Sector Interpreters do in order to provide a voice for non-native English speakers residing in the UK. Essentially, they grant them access to essential health and public services by facilitating multilingual communication. Likewise, without Public Sector Interpreting, the justice system, the police and the NHS, for example, would be unable to fully support non-English speaking residents. Ultimately, interpreters contribute to the reduction of inequalities in public service access between native and non-native speakers, in turn, improving overall community cohesion and inclusivity.
Communication barriers have already deterred parts of the non-English speaking community from seeking public service assistance. With the rise of this global pandemic, the difficulty to access such services has been heightened. This is why in the weeks and months to come, public services, including the NHS, will continue to require as well as depend on public sector interpreters to facilitate crucial multilingual discussions in a variety of settings. Therefore, the official key worker status for Public Sector Interpreters couldn’t be fairer as they bravely put themselves out there to support the UK’s multicultural and linguistically diverse population.
