Abstract

The so-called refugee ‘crisis’ could not be managed without the help of volunteers, on a global as well as on a local scale. The focus of this thesis is on one particular group of people whose commitment is crucial for handling the situation: interpreters in the refugee context in Germany. Since most of the refugees speak neither German nor English, it would be impossible to go through the different processes to obtain asylum, but also to provide social support, without the help of interpreters. They play a very significant role and are confronted with highly challenging tasks. They are the linguistic and cultural mediators between two parties and they can be considered as agents of transculturality. They have to be able to adapt to different situations because depending on the context, where and for whom they work, different qualities and strategies are expected from them. In this dynamic and complex situation, the interpreters have to discover and define their own agency and role, while trying to meet the expectations of their employers as well as those of the refugees. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness, create a dialogue, analyse the different perspectives, and provide adequate training to prepare the interpreters for the challenges.