Articles, insights and resources for interpreters and mediators working in ADR contexts.
Mediation is a voluntary, confidential process in which a neutral third party — the mediator — helps disputing parties communicate and negotiate toward a mutually acceptable resolution. For interpreters stepping into this arena, understanding the fundamentals is essential.
The Code of Ethics that guides court interpreters was designed for adversarial proceedings. When you enter a mediation room, many of those rules still apply — but the context shifts in important ways that every interpreter should know before their first ADR assignment.
Bringing a professional interpreter into your mediation session is not simply a matter of adding another person to the room. It requires adjusting your pacing, your use of metaphor, your caucus strategy, and your understanding of what the interpreter can and cannot do.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) parties deserve the same quality of mediation process as any other participant. When interpretation is poor or absent, self-determination — the cornerstone of mediation — is compromised from the start.
From BATNA to caucus, from impasse to shuttle diplomacy — the vocabulary of Alternative Dispute Resolution is rich and specific. This glossary gives interpreters a working foundation in the terminology they will encounter in mediation and other ADR processes.
Maria Ceballos-Wallis hosts Subject to Interpretation, a podcast that explores topics of interest to professional interpreters across all fields. Recent episodes have touched on ADR, community interpreting, and the evolving landscape of remote interpretation.