Lost in translation : Tolkens påverkan på förhör

Investigative interviews form a significant part of the daily responsibilities for police officers and civil investigators. Between 2007 and 2017 the costs for interpreters used by the Swedish police more than doubled nationwide. This indicates that interviews with interpreters present grows more common. Therefore, this study was performed to investigate the interrogators perception of the interpreters’ presence during interviews, and the perceived impact on the quality of the interviews. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the interrogators perception regarding preparation and competence of the interpreters. A survey was conducted to collect a nationwide insight on the perceived competence of interpreters and performance of the interviews with an interpreter present. The survey amassed responses from 222 interrogators from ten police districts. The results show that interviews conducted with interpreters consume more time and most of the interrogators perceived that they acquire less information from the interrogated person with an interpreter present. A large part of the cohort revealed that interpreted interviews are harder to conduct, but not necessarily more difficult to focus on the interrogated person. Generally, the interrogators disclosed that they do not gain adequate education from the police academies to perform interviews with interrogators. Nevertheless, the general perception is that the interpreters are competent enough, and the responders showed a positive experience with the interpreters’ abilities. The experienced difficulties with the presence of interpreters may have consequences for the interview and ultimately the investigation. Further studies on factors that create such difficulties or how to establish better conditions for the interrogators would be beneficial for advancing education and knowledge in the field.