Exploring the Role of Cultural Translation in Multicultural Communication in the Norwegian Context

As a result of increasing immigration, host countries, including Norway, have increased policy attention for effective integration. One of the specific needs of ethnic minorities is their intercultural communication, which requires cultural understanding of the host country and that of the client when meeting with public officials. This is not merely possible by regular oral interpreting and requires a cultural interpreter who can interpret in a cultural context. Cultural interpreting is an emerging research field that has drawn particular attention from governments and academia and has been viewed as a positive measure. However, its field is not clearly defined. While some countries use regular interpreters both for linguistic and cultural interpreters, others differentiate between them. One of the critiques associated with cultural interpreters is their limited cultural understanding and education in intercultural communication. To address this problem, some countries have established higher education institutions. In Norway, the public sector has begun using cultural interpreters in various departments; however, their scope of task is unclear. This PhD project, implemented by Norway’s Multicultural Center (NOMKUS), will explore the role of cultural interpretation and its existing challenges in intercultural communication. It will further contribute to filling possible knowledge gaps and understanding the state of the art in the field. Qualitative methods will be used for the study. Potential participants will include, among others, interpreters and relevant public and private sectors that use cultural interpretation services. The project is of high relevance for NOMKUS, which offers integration and cultural interpretation services across Norway. As the project owner, the company aims to create an online registry for cultural interpreters as well as develop capacity-building programs necessary for cultural interpreters to work professionally.

This research project will explore the role of cultural interpreting in multicultural communication in the Norwegian context. Cultural translators or interpreters, also called kulturtolk in Norwegian, are relatively new in Norway. Despite this, the Norwegian public sector has initiated using cultural interpreters in many departments, including the Norwegian Child Welfare Services, Barnevernet, and the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, Bufdir. There is an increasing interest in professionalizing and promoting cultural interpretation and expanding it to other public and private spheres. Asylum reception centers, crisis centers, police stations, schools, health centers, and the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration are also possible departments that could benefit from cultural interpreters. Research projects that have been conducted thus far praise and emphasize the importance of cultural interpreting in terms of resolving intercultural misunderstandings and bridging the gap between public officials and their clients. Some countries, such as Italy, have already started investing in cultural interpretation; there are currently higher education institutions that offer cultural translation studies and have separated the field of cultural interpretation as a distinct scientific field. Some other European countries also use cultural interpreters as an essential and effective element of intercultural communication. The vast majority of the literature indicates a knowledge gap in cultural interpretation as a separate scientific field. For example, the role of cultural interpreters, their responsibilities and education have not been defined.