- What is PSIT?
This professional field emerges as the result of a social need arising from the migratory flows of the 20th and 21st centuries, which led to the adaptation of translation and interpreting services to the specific context of public services in order to facilitate communication between users and professionals working in settings such as healthcare centres, hospitals, courts, local councils, social services, refugee support centres, prisons, tourist offices, police stations, etc.
- What types of translation and interpreting are found in public services?
Although some types are more common than others, none of the following are excluded from public services:
– General translation: medical certificates, vaccination schedules, living wills, public awareness posters…
– Legal translation: restraining orders, powers of attorney, divorce decrees…
– Sworn translation: international adoption reports, custody orders, reports from youth detention centres…
– Sight translation: documentation provided by users of public services, text message communications from social services for deaf users…
– Face-to-face liaison/bilateral interpreting: medical consultations, appointments at social services, explanations at shelters…
– Telephone interpreting: calls to 112, calls to 061, calls to 016…
– Video conference interpreting: remote sign language interpreting, statements at police stations or in court…
– Court interpreting: fast-track trials for domestic violence, explanation of court rulings, reading of rights, initiation of proceedings…
– Simultaneous interpreting: court hearings.