Role ambiguities and role conflicts of healthcare translators in Turkey: A research on healthcare translators in Antalya, Ankara and İstanbul based on Erving Goffman's role model

Multiculturalism and multilingualism have become an inevitable reality in our globalizing world. At this point, the increasing immigration especially with health tourism has been also a relevant topic in recent years. In this context, the translator is acting as a bridge between multicultural societies with their own unique laws and living conditions and enables a cross-cultural communication. Therefore, community interpreting, which continues to exist in many fields such as law, security or health, plays a significant role. Healthcare interpreting is considered as a sub-field of community interpreting and although it is vitally important, translation service in health interpreting is mainly provided by non-professional language mediators such as ad hoc interpreters or health employees. Considering the communication problems that might occur, incorrect or inadequate treatments can arise and can also lead to dire consequences which are irreversible. In such cases, professional health translators especially with field-specific training play an essential role. Regarding the problem, in which I have made a field research, it could be proved that health translators in Turkey have role conflicts and role ambiguities as a result of the many roles they undertake. These roles have been interpreted and explained based on the dramaturgical role understanding of the American Sociologist Erving Goffman. My research material consists of guided two-sided interviews with translators and healthcare professionals working in private hospitals, eye clinics and hair transplantation centers in Antalya, Ankara and Istanbul. The results were analyzed according to the categories created in Goffman's role model theory and systematically evaluated with the qualitative research method. The lack of awareness concerning health translators working in the field leads to an increase of their workload and especially their responsibilities. Due to the role ambiguity and role conflict that occurred as a result of this, it has been determined that the translation activity, which is their main task, remains in the background and is perceived as an additional occupation.