Interpreting in Asylum Hearings: Findings of the “Berlin Initiative” and Their Transfer to Other Settings

The article presents the Berlin Initiative and its work. The initiative is a free association of professional interpreters and other experts who are committed to good interpreting in the community, with the aim of promoting equal, linguistically accurate and culturally appropriate communication. What this means in the concrete interpreting situation and how this can best be ensured in an area in which mostly untrained interpreters work has been the focus of the initiative since its inception. For the pilot project at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the general quality standards of interpreting were reflected upon with regard to the situation of asylum hearings and the knowledge gained from this has since been further developed for other settings in the community.