Overview

Syrian immigrants and refugees that identify as transgender, intend to undergo a gender transition and have sex reassignment surgery (SRS) often choose the Netherlands as their destination to do so. Being transgender in Syria is something that is prohibited and there is no possibility there to have SRS. The Netherlands is one of the most liberal countries in the world and a country that openly supports the LGBTQ+ community and their human rights. The Netherlands was also the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. There are many hospitals in the Netherlands that have special departments dedicated to helping transgenders in their transition trajectory, which takes approximately 2 years. It seems as if the Netherlands is the perfect place for transgenders to transition and to spend their lives, but unfortunately even in the Netherlands there are certain situations where conflicts arise. 

An interview has been conducted with an interpreter who works for a large international interpretation organization located in the Netherlands. The organization works together with over 4000 interpreters and cultural experts who can speak over 200 different languages. The languages that the interviewee interprets in are Dutch and Arabic (Syrian – Lebanese dialect). The interpreter has worked and interpreted for institutions in many different sectors such as the medical, social and legal sectors. 

The largest group of clients that the interpreter has are Syrian transgender immigrants and refugees. This also appeared to be one of the most controversial groups of clients to work with. Some other interpreters have displayed that it is inhibitive for them to work together with and interpret for transgenders. The reason behind this might be that being transgender in Syria is prohibited. What makes the situation even more difficult for these Syrian transgenders is that Syria is a collectivistic society. Identifying as transgender and doing something that is prohibited does not only ‘bring shame’ to themselves, but also to their social circle and to the people in their surroundings.

The interviewee has stated that many of her clients have been rejected by other interpreters solely for the fact that they are transgender. Even in situations where they did receive an interpreter, they felt as if the interpreter did not act in a neutral manner and instead acted very judgmental and discriminative towards them, which has made the Syrian transgenders feel less valued and unaccepted. The Netherlands is one of the most liberal countries in the world and if there are some interpreters there that do not want to interpret for transgenders, then what does it say about the rest of the world?

To get a better understanding of the cultural differences between the Netherlands and Syria, a Hofstede comparison has been prepared comparing the different cultural dimensions. The values that are displayed here in Syria for each dimension are estimates. The comparison between the two countries displays quite some contrasting values for each dimension. The power-distance in Syria is much higher compared to the Netherlands. There is a hierarchical order in society and a large emphasis on different social classes and showing large amounts of respect to those in higher positions than you are in is almost mandatory. In the Netherlands this is quite different. People are seen as more equal in terms of social classes or positions. For example, it is a social norm in the Netherlands to call a teacher or manager by their first name without it being disrespectful, although this might differ per individual. The Individualism and masculinity dimension also strongly contrast each other. The Netherlands strongly values individualism, while Syria has a very collectivistic society. In Syria, with everything you do and every decision you make you have to keep in mind how this might affect your social circle. The integrity of your family or other relationships needs to be kept intact by you and you must not do something that will result in ‘losing face’. Syria is a very masculine country and people there ‘live in order to work’. The uncertainty avoidance is higher in Syria and average in the Netherlands. In Syria it is preferred to not deviate from the cultural beliefs, norms and other rules that have been created. The long-term orientation in the Netherlands is high and Syria has a short-term orientation. It is believed by the researchers that this might be caused by the many wars and military attacks that Syria has experienced in the past, which has caused people to live more in the ‘now’ instead of thinking ahead in the future. Unfortunately, there is not enough data collected by Hofstede about the indulgence dimension in Syria, but it is expected to be much lower than in the Netherlands.

Outcome

As someone who comes from a similar cultural background as the Syrians and has lived in the Netherlands for over 20 years, the interviewee was shocked but not necessarily surprised to see things like this happen. She understands that there are many cultural differences between Syria and the Netherlands, but she feels as if it still does not justify going against basic human rights, especially as an interpreter. The most important practice as an interpreter to her is to always act in a professional and unbiased manner and to treat others with respect no matter who they are or where they come from. This is also why many of her current clients have always favored her as their interpreter as they do not feel less valued or discriminated by her. Her clients have luckily also never felt disrespected by their doctors and surgeons as they are specialized in that specific area, but they sadly have been by other surroundings in the Netherlands. They do feel more welcomed in the Netherlands than in Syria, but there have been many instances where the Syrian transgenders have been discriminated, harassed or made fun of outside to the point where they did not want to leave their house anymore. The interviewee was really disappointed by this as the only thing that her clients want is to just live their lives regularly like everyone else around them and have basic human rights. Unfortunately, there are many situations where conflicts arise due to cultural differences, however a professional environment should never be one of them.  

There are also other interpretation problems that apply to Syrian immigrants and refugees in general. The reason why having an interpreter present in certain situations is so important is because every person deserves the right to understand and be understood. It is oftentimes crucial to interpret the information that is given from clients as accurate as possible. There have been many instances where the Syrian clients have received interpreters that speak a different dialect of Arabic than them. This has led to situations where there is miscommunication and misinterpretation. It needs to be more recognized that there are multiple different dialects of Arabic and some that are so different from each other that they are almost two separate languages. 

But perhaps the most astonishing thing was the subconscious cultural misappropriation. As citizens from the West, we are of course often brought into contact with western movies. In those movies, there is a certain image that is portrayed about middle eastern countries. Needless to say, that there are certain expectations that you have from those countries because of those movies, especially when you have never been there. It’s a strange experience when there is such a mismatch between your expectations and reality because those countries are of course more than just desert plains with some tribes roaming around in them. It couldn’t be further away from the truth, which really makes you question why it is portrayed like that in the first place. To have that old image shattered and having it replaced with something that more closely resembles the truth, has been one of the key takeaways from this experience.

Best Practice

One of the most important best practices of being an interpreter is to be unbiased and professional during interpretation and to not interfere between the information that is given and received. Sometimes this might be the most difficult thing that you have to do as an interpreter. You have to interpret everything exactly as it is being said, even when they are ‘bad’ words or curse words. It is highly prohibited to influence the information and content of the conversation. Another important practice is trying to understand what is being said as best as you can. If you do not know a specific word or medical term it is important to try to understand and learn about it as much as you can, so that you can explain it to the other person as best as you can. In addition, if the institution where you are interpreting allows it then it is possible and could even be helpful to give some cultural background information between the Netherlands and Syria in the case that there is a conflict, but often times this is not allowed.

Another thing that is highly important in this case is assigning an interpreter that speaks the right dialect of Arabic to avoid misinterpretation and miscommunication. The dialect of the interpreter in this case is officially called Arabic; Syrian – Lebanese. This is something that the Syrian clients have often complained about because they have sometimes gotten Arabic interpreters that speak a different dialect, such as Moroccan Arabic (Darija) for example, and they will oftentimes not interpret the information that the client has given them correctly.

Student Authors

Tavan Ferman (LinkedIn)
Amsterdam School of International Business; Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Block 4, Semester 2, 2021

Tim van Looveren (LinkedIn)
Kozminksi Univeristy/ Akademia Leona Koźmińskiego
Block 4, Semester 2, 2021