한국어-아랍어 의료통역사의 관계적 윤리 실천에 관한 질적 연구

Abstract

This study investigates the ethical dilemmas faced by Korean– Arabic medical interpreters in South Korean hospitals. With a growing influx of state-sponsored patients from Gulf countries including UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, interpreters are increasingly positioned not only as linguistic conduits but also as cultural mediators and ethical agents. Drawing on Wadensjö’s dialogic model, Hsieh’s interactional framework, and Pym’s theory of ethical agency, this study proposes a triangulated analytical framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six professional interpreters, through which five key themes emerged: role perception, challenges in maintaining neutrality, cultural mediation, ethical decision-making, and the need for institutional support. The findings reveal that interpreters engage in context-sensitive practices requiring intercultural competence, emotional labor, and autonomous ethical judgment. Unlike Western models that often rely on informal interpreters, the Korean system emphasizes professionalization, offering a distinctive institutional structure. This study underscores the importance of policy development and training programs to support interpreters’ ethical agency in multicultural healthcare settings.