Interpreters and family

Also called Family as interpreter, Using relatives to interpret, Professional interpreting

Why a relative should not be the interpreter in a medical or legal room, however fluent and however willing, and what to ask for instead.

What it is

This entry is about the difference between a family member who understands a person and a professional interpreter who is there to give that person a voice. Families interpret all the time and mostly well. But in a consulting room, a police station, a tribunal or a capacity assessment, using a relative as the interpreter is a mistake with consequences, and public bodies that do it are usually breaking their own rules.

It applies to British Sign Language, to spoken languages, and to the informal interpreting that families do for people with unclear speech or AAC.

Who it can help

Deaf people who use BSL, people whose first language is not English, and people who use AAC or have speech that only their family can follow. Their families, who are often relieved to be told they do not have to do it. Professionals who have been using the relative because it was quicker.

It is not an argument that families should be excluded. A relative can be in the room as support, and often should be. They should not be the channel.

How it works

The reasons are practical. A relative may soften bad news, leave out embarrassing symptoms, answer for the person, or not know the medical or legal terms. The person may not want to tell their daughter about their bowels or their marriage. In safeguarding, the relative may be the problem. And a child interpreting a parent's cancer diagnosis is being harmed. None of that is about the relative's honesty; it is about the role.

For BSL users, the Accessible Information Standard requires NHS and social care bodies in England to provide a registered interpreter, and the BSL Act 2022 recognises the language in law; see BSL interpreters. Courts and police must provide interpreters for anyone who needs one. For spoken languages the same NHS duty applies.

For AAC users and people with unclear speech there is no interpreter register, and the answer is different: the professional communicates directly with the person, using their device, giving wait time, and a trained communication partner or an independent advocate supports rather than speaks for them. In a capacity assessment this matters most, since the assessor must take all practicable steps to help the person communicate, and "his mother says he wants" is not the person's decision. See mental capacity act and communication.

Getting started

This week, if a medical, legal or benefits appointment is coming, ask for an interpreter or for the communication support the person needs, in writing, and say which duty you are relying on. Ask for the booking to be confirmed.

Agree with the person what role the family member will take in the room: support, note-taker, extra time, and not the voice. Say it to the professional at the start.

If a service says there is no interpreter available and asks a relative to do it, the person can decline and ask for the appointment to be rebooked. That is allowed, and it is usually the right call.

Where to get help

Signature and the National Registers of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind People hold the registers of qualified BSL interpreters. RNID and British Deaf Association advise on rights to interpreting. SignHealth covers health settings. NHS England owns the Accessible Information Standard. For AAC users, independent advocacy and an IMCA are the routes in care and capacity decisions.