Table 4 Perceptions of professional interpreting services

Perceived variation of service quality and impact on care

“You are not able to communicate, so in the meantime the illness you had always goes away. Because they call you after three or four days, and by that time you would have already done a home remedy, or taken medicine from the pharmacist.” (372, Hindi, F, 73)

“Sometimes I get some interpreters who make the GP understand properly. In detail. And there are some who can’t make them understand in detail.” (2, Sylheti, M, 61)

“I don’t know English and they are helping, it’s a big matter. They are respecting that I came from Bangladesh, and I know English and they are helping me. They are not letting me understand that I don’t know. I don’t know it’s not a matter, they are helping me. They are making me understand that there is nothing to fear when I go to the doctor’s as I don’t know English, they will help me. It feels good.” (145, Sylheti, F, 35)

“I like that they give me an interpreter. It helps me. I get the medicine, I am able to speak properly, I am not scared of anything like saying something wrong or being taking the wrong medicine.” (415, Hindi, F, 60)

“I feel hesitant about how to speak, there is a third person who will know about my health issue. But as I cannot speak English, I have to tell them. Otherwise, I won’t get proper treatment or won’t get medicines. For this I have to tell them.” (154, Sylheti, F, 65)

Preference for face-to-face interpreting

“[t]he problems can be broken down and explained in a face-to-face interpretation. It cannot be done over the phone… over the phone, they talk in English at first and then they translate it in Bengali, you know. Therefore, it is hard to understand. If it is a face-to-face conversation, I can easily explain my problem in a face-to-face conversation, one can clearly explain one’s problem, and it is easier to express what that person feels.” (134, Sylheti, M, 47).

“[s]ometimes when I am speaking, the interpreter’s connection crashes, and then he is not available anymore. Then it is said that one has left, then another one is brought, it happens a lot.” (408, Sylheti, M, 54).