Working with Interpreters in the Counselling Room

One of the first things many trainee counsellors notice when working with an interpreter is just how different the counselling room suddenly feels.

What is normally experienced as a two-person therapeutic relationship becomes something more complex. There is now a third person in the room. Another voice. Another relationship. Another layer of communication, observation, culture, language, and interpretation.

For many counsellors this can initially feel unsettling.

You can suddenly become very aware that someone else is observing your work in real time. The natural flow of the counselling relationship changes. Silences feel different. Pace changes. Emotional meaning can sometimes feel interrupted or delayed while language is interpreted and returned.

At the same time, clients may also experience uncertainty.

Some clients may worry about confidentiality, particularly within smaller communities. Others may feel cautious about discussing painful experiences in depth through another person. Language, culture, gender, power, identity, and trust can all begin shaping the therapeutic dynamic in ways that require additional awareness from the counsellor.

One of the most important lessons when working with interpreters is that the therapeutic relationship still matters deeply, perhaps even more so.

The counsellor needs to remain attentive not only to the client, but also to the wider relational dynamics developing within the room. Trust between all three people becomes essential.

Things that may need careful consideration include:

• the client’s comfort with the interpreter
• cultural and gender dynamics
• confidentiality concerns
• whether the interpreter understands therapeutic boundaries
• how emotional meaning is translated, not just language itself
• the pace and structure of the session
• the emotional impact the work may also have on the interpreter

Good preparation and briefing are important. Interpreting within counselling is very different from everyday conversational translation. Interpreters need clarity around boundaries, emotional containment, and the importance of translating as accurately as possible without becoming part of the therapeutic process themselves.

Debriefing can also be important.

Interpreters may hear traumatic or emotionally difficult material, sometimes reflecting experiences from within their own communities or personal histories. Space to check in afterwards can help maintain professionalism, support wellbeing, and strengthen the working relationship.

Interestingly, many counsellors also notice that working through an interpreter can create more thinking space. The slower pace can encourage deeper observation, greater attention to process, and increased awareness of emotional dynamics within the room.

Over time, if trust develops, the interpreter can begin to fade slightly into the background of the relationship. Clients often begin speaking more directly to the counsellor rather than through the interpreter, while the interpreter becomes a bridge rather than a barrier.

Working therapeutically with interpreters can feel challenging at first, but it can also become deeply valuable work. For some clients, it may be the only realistic pathway into meaningful emotional support.

One helpful introductory text for counsellors interested in this area is Working with Interpreters by Jude Boyles, particularly for thinking about ethics, relational awareness, culture, and communication within interpreted therapeutic work.