Interpreting

Reception centre employees may book an interpreter to help you in situations where they handle important official matters that concern you. For example, information sessions organised by the reception centre will be interpreted into a language that you understand. An interpreter is often booked for your visits to the nurse, the social worker or the social counsellor.

The interpreter may not necessarily interpret into your mother tongue if there is another language that you understand sufficiently well.

The reception centre will not book an interpreter for all everyday situations. Instead, everyone should make an effort to make do without an interpreter.

Interpreters and translators always have an obligation to maintain secrecy.

You will find more information about the roles of the authorities and the interpreter in a video produced by the project At Home in Finland. The video has not been made by the Finnish Immigration Service, and therefore the practices at some of the appointments at the Finnish Immigration Service may differ from those described on the video. You will find more information about interpretation at asylum interviews in the Finnish Immigration Service’s video “Asylum interview”.