Interpreting for Ukrainian refugees in the healthcare system in Poland

The war in Ukraine has led to a surge in migration across Europe, particularly to Poland. De­spite the urgent need for effective integration infrastructure, the Polish government was unable to provide adequate reception services for refugees. Against this backdrop, professional translators’ associations in Poland, along with NGOs and non-professional language mediators, had to step in to replace public institutions and provide alternative language assistance solutions. This paper examines the state of interpreting provision and discusses the situation following the outbreak of the migration crisis. It also considers the needs of migrants, the responses of the authorities to these needs, and the actions taken by professional and non-professional interpreter associations. To offer more detailed insight into the experiences of interpreters, the paper also presents the results of a case study conducted in Poland interviewing or observing seven professional and non-professional language mediators in a medical setting. The data for this ethnographic research were collected through semi-structured interviews with three professional and two non-professional interpreters in healthcare facilities in Warsaw, as well as through observation of interpreted encounters during two psychological sessions with Ukrainian refugees.