Creencias y percepciones de los facilitadores lingüísticos entre criollo haitiano y español en Chile. Resultados de una investigación-acción

Chilean public institutions have resorted to various ad hoc solutions in order to overcome communication barriers between public services and the Haitian migrant community, the most predominant being the incorporation of language facilitators in public services. The functions of these facilitators are not regulated, and their roles vary according to the institutional context, and include, among others, translating, interpreting and linguistic and intercultural mediation. Nor is there any training in translation and interpretation to prepare them to perform these tasks. This article presents the results of an action-research study conducted with the aim of identifying the beliefs and perceptions of language facilitators currently working in different public services in Chile. The results provide evidence on the low institutionalization and pre-professionalization stage of interpreting in public services in Chile and how this is reflected in the diversity of functions, roles, and expectations that users and providers have about the work of facilitators. Two central themes emerged from the data: The self-perception of language facilitators in relation to their work and the community to which they belong; and the ethical dilemmas that arise regarding the degree of intervention. This study constitutes a first approach to the phenomenon of linguistic facilitation for a migrant community at a time of pre-professionalization, which may contribute to lay the foundations for future research and to the development of the profession in Chile and the region.