Delivered by Paul Belmonte (RSLI)

One of the more challenging situations in which we work is when we are interpreting with a patient who is nearing the end of their life. As well as the emotional impact of giving voice to the dying, the interpreter must also carefully manage their relationships with all parties while making some difficult decisions around the language they use to describe death.

This presentation will discuss the conclusions of a cross-disciplinary discussion, where the presenter met with a palliative care consultant and a clinical nurse specialist to review the care given to a deaf patient and the lessons learned as we offered support at the end of his life. It will attempt to answer questions such as:

• How impartial or emotionally detached is it appropriate for the interpreter to be in
these settings?

• How will they walk the tightrope between using language clear enough to be certain
the patient understands the imminence of their own death, while at the same time
working with the euphemisms used by clinical staff to make their conversations as
gentle as possible?

• How will we interpret phrases like, “We’re just going to make you comfortable now”?