‘Sign and move on’

Abstract This article explores informed consent in maternity care in multilingual and multicultural contexts. Based on findings from a Royal Society of Edinburgh funded research project carried out in 2022 in Scotland, the article examines why consent is particularly crucial in maternity care, how it is usually obtained in the case of parents with limited English proficiency, and which barriers may stand in the way of truly informed consent. By focusing on the prevalent conception of informed consent as a legal requirement vis-à-vis its wider ethical implications, the objective of the article is to understand how the professional relationships between service providers, users, and interpreters may be enhanced through a discussion of the fiduciary aspect of interpreting and of advocacy for best possible outcomes.