PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Culture and Communication
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2025.1591277
This article is part of the Research TopicVoices across Borders: Navigating Linguistic and Cultural Landscapes for LGBTQ+ Migrants in Host CountriesView all articles
Interpreting for LGBTIQ+ Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands: Challenges and Policy Recommendations
Provisionally accepted
- 1Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
- 2University of Jaume I, Castelló de La Plana, Valencian Community, Spain
- 3International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers face unique challenges in proving their claims, as their identities are often criminalized or stigmatized in their home countries.•Asylum processes rely heavily on credibility assessments, where interpreters play a crucial role in communication.•Common issues in interpreter-mediated asylum interviews include lack of specialized training, linguistic barriers, cultural biases, confidentiality concerns, and structural undervaluation of interpreters.•In the Netherlands, Work Instruction 2019/17 provides guidelines for assessing LGBTIQ+ claims incorporating international recommendations, but gaps persist in interpreter selection, training, and oversight.•This review identifies best practices, including comprehensive interpreter training, trauma-informed approaches, and standardized ethical guidelines.•Policy recommendations are suggested, emphasizing the need for clearer protocols, ongoing professional development, and institutional recognition of interpreters’ impact on asylum outcomes.
Keywords: LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers, trauma-informed interpreting, interpreter training, interpreter selection, interpreter oversight, LGBTIQ+ applicants, interpreting protocols
Received: 11 Mar 2025; Accepted: 16 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Crezee, Monzó-Nebot, Ramirez and Sanders. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ineke Crezee, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
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