Salvation Army welcomes refugee family to a new life in London with interpreting support from Interpreters Portal
Who are the refugees?
What are the challenges?
On top of this being a challenge in “normal” times, this family is relocating right in the middle of the Covid19 pandemic. As we all know this brings a whole new level of restrictions, checks, and assessments to ensure everyone’s safety.
Our bespoke interpreting solution.
In this case our chosen interpreter has previously worked with 11 refugee families under this initiative. Alongside their understanding and knowledge, they are also conveniently located just a few miles from the family’s new home. It’s easy for them to support the family’s face-to-face meetings and scheduled virtual appointments.
Navigating the Covid restrictions is its own challenge. The interpreter takes a Covid test 48 hours before the family arrives in the country. As a back-up we have a second interpreter on hand, with a negative Covid test, in case things don’t go to plan at the last moment. Language support is a vital part of the family’s initial immersion into UK life and we take our role incredibly seriously.
Interpreting support from day one.
Alongside the in person support from the same interpreter, we also provide an emergency 24/7 contact number so the family can easily connect with an Arabic interpreter should there be any unforeseen circumstances.
At InterpretersPortal we are always keen to stress to all our clients that no one size ever fits all. Our work with the Salvation Army and the family really is a true testament to that being the case.