Unraveling the multifaceted nature of job satisfaction among migrant healthcare interpreters/translators

Abstract

This study employs Q methodology to analyze the job satisfaction of healthcare interpreters/translators who serve Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand. The unique working conditions imposed by the pandemic are addressed from the various perspectives of the interpreters and translators, who are also migrants. The participants (n = 26) were clustered into different groups based on their shared viewpoints on sources of job satisfaction. The findings confirm that job satisfaction among healthcare interpreters and translators is multifaceted and personal; they derive from interactions with other members of the interpreter’s immediate professional circle, confidence in one’s own inherent values, and an emotional urge to belong to their professional community, which is dominated by the host country’s citizens. This study concludes that recognizing and bolstering the commitments of healthcare interpreters and translators is vital for establishing work-life balance and should be supported by the state, particularly during times of crisis.