Language interpretation provision in maternity services: A racialised perspective

High-quality interpreter services in England are essential for safe maternity care of pregnant ethnic minority women whose preferred language is not English. Despite this need, there remain numerous deficiencies in the quality and accessibility of interpreters within the National Health Service (NHS). This chapter provides an overview of the shortcomings of interpretation services, focusing on interpreter availability and quality, and the organisational factors which contribute to these inadequacies. Using Critical Race Theory as a framework through which to explore racial dimensions of these challenges, and through a review of available literature, this chapter provides a broad overview of the sociological and political factors that lead to the continued inadequacy of interpretation services in maternity care in England. The impact of the intersecting identities of race, migration status, religion, and gender in the context of maternity care is also explored. The chapter concludes with a consideration of potential areas requiring further attention to enable the provision of high-quality interpreter services in maternity healthcare settings.