Cultural mediation in the context of social work: A study from Sicily

Abstract This article analyses intercultural mediation in encounters between social workers and migrants arriving from outside Europe to Sicily. The material derive from the Global ANSWER (H2020-MASCA-RISE) project and is drawn from individual interviews with cultural mediators, observations of mediation in practice and documentation from a workshop and a training course for cultural mediators. Research shows an increasing demand for mediation services in social work settings but also highlights numerous associated risks. By using a theoretical framework developed in Translation and Interpreting Studies the article proposes a model of four different positions of cultural mediation: interpreting, guiding, brokering and mediation. The ‘interpreter’ position is most adequate in social work with decision making, the ‘guiding’ position in preventive social work, the ‘broker’ position where the mediator acts on a freelance basis and ‘mediation’ position in treatment and rehabilitating social work. Regardless of the position, cultural mediation is most successful when there are clear rules between mediator and the organization/service provider. Although Italy presents a unique case, the results are of interest in other European countries where cultural mediation services are being developed to complement existing interpreting services and to bridge linguistic and cultural gaps between migrants and social workers.