Dr Natalia Rodriguez Vicente
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Email
natalia.rodriguezvicente@essex.ac.uk -
Location
4.320, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
Thursdays, 12pm - 2pm
Profile
Biography
I am a Lecturer in the Department of Languages and Linguistics, where I serve as Director of Research Impact (UoA26) and Director of the MA in Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling. My research is on interpreter-mediated communication between linguistically and culturally diverse patients and service providers in healthcare settings, with a focus on mental health and covering three areas: (1) how interpreter mediation shapes relational practices; (2) culturally bound conceptualisations of mental health and 'idioms of distress'; and (3) interdisciplinary working dynamics between clinicians and interpreters, which is the core principle of my Research Impact activities. I am currently PI on the British Academy-funded 'SPARK' (2024–2026), which builds research capacity among Kenya-based Early-Career Researchers in Applied Linguistics and Psychology; and Co-I for a project funded by the Academy of Medical Sciences (2025–2026) on Sign Language interpreting in statutory health and social services in South Africa, in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand. Previously, I led a University of Essex QR International Impact Fund project (2024–2025) on interprofessional collaboration between community health practitioners and mediators of indigenous languages in South Africa, and I was Co-I on the NIHR-funded interdisciplinary 'INForMHAA' project (2021–2024) on interpreter mediation in assessments conducted under the Mental Health Act (1983). Prior to joining Essex, I was a Research Assistant for the Evidence for Evaluation and Improvement (EEvIT) division at NHS Scotland. My PhD thesis on interpreter mediation in Psychological Medicine, involving ethnographic work at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, received the international CIUTI 2021 Award to "the most outstanding contribution to the field of Translation & Interpreting Studies completed at a CIUTI university". I welcome enquiries from prospective PhD students working in Discourse Analysis, Public Service Interpreting, and Healthcare Communication, particularly where these intersect with emerging technologies. I also welcome opportunities to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects that align with these research areas.
Qualifications
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PhD - Translation & Interpreting Studies (Health) Heriot-Watt University,
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MSc - Conference Interpreting and Translation (Distinction) Heriot-Watt University,
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BA English Studies Universidad de Salamanca,
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer (R), Language and Linguistics, University of Essex (1/5/2024 - present)
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Lecturer, University of Essex (1/8/2021 - 30/4/2024)
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Director of Research Impact (UoA26), University of Essex (1/9/2023 - present)
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Director of MA Translation, Interpreting & Subtitling, University of Essex (1/8/2023 - present)
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Ethics Officer, University of Essex (1/6/2022 - 1/9/2024)
Other academic
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External Examiner for MA programmes in Interpreting, Translation, and Modern Languages for Business., Heriot-Watt University (1/5/2025 - 1/5/2028)
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Research assistant, Evidence and Evaluation for Improvement (EEvIT) division, Healthcare Improvement Scotland - NHS Scotland (1/8/2019 - 1/1/2020)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Medical humanities
Cross-cultural pragmatics
Public Service Interpreting
Intercultural communication
Interdisciplinarity (Health & Linguistics)
Inclusion of minoritised groups in mental healthcare
Current research
Academy of Medical Sciences: 2025-2026 South Africa-UK network for enhancing sign language interpreting in statutory health and social care
Conferences and presentations
Can interprofessional competence be taught?
Invited presentation, The linguistics collective conference and international mother language day 2026, 21/2/2026
Epistemic principles of interdisciplinary research
SPARK Interdisciplinary International Workshop - Naivasha, Kenya (Online contribution), 5/2/2026
Working with interpreters in Mental Health Act assessments
Greater Manchester Approved Mental Health Professionals Conference, 11/12/2025
Vulnerabilities in language-based inclusion and exclusion
Invited presentation, Expert panel on Marginalisation and Participation - EU-CIEMBLY workshop - Intersectionality in citizens' assemblies, 9/7/2025
What Makes a Publishable Research Question? Academic Writing for High-Impact Journals
British Academy Interdisciplinary Workshop 'SPARK', Kenyatta University Conference Centre, Nairobi, 5/6/2025
Behind the Protective Shield of Neutrality: Interpreter Positionality in Mental Health Care
11st European Society for Translation Studies- The Changing Faces of T&I Studies, 30/3/2025
[In]equalities around interpreter mediation in mental health
Keynote presentation, Linguistic Injustice and Inequality in the Public Domain, Stirling, 13/3/2025
Applying Discourse Analytical approaches to the analysis of interpreter-mediated interaction: a matter of social justice
Invited presentation, Uniwersytet Warszawski - Instytut anglistyki, 13/1/2025
Interdisciplinary influences in meaning-making
57th Annual Conference of the British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), Colchester, United Kingdom, 7/9/2024
Enhancing workforce knowledge and skills in mental health
London City Mental Health Research Centre, London, United Kingdom, 25/6/2024
AMHP and interpreter experiences of interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act assessments: Implications for AMHP practice and education
National Institute for Health Research School of Social Care Research Annual Conference 2024, United Kingdom, 25/4/2024
Interpreting in specialised contexts: context-based decision-making in Mental Health Act assessments
Translation and Cultural Sustainability: Challenges and new avenues, Salamanca, Spain, 18/4/2024
Interpreter-mediated mental health act assessments
National Institute for Health Research SSCR Annual Conference, Chancery Lane, London, 18/4/2023
Interpreting in mental health act assessments (INForMHAA): Building an evidence-based training model
8th International Conference on PSIT (TISP8), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, 22/3/2023
Building an evidence/based training model based on the INForMHAA project findings
APTIS 2022: Translation & Interpreting pedagogy in a post-pandemic world, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, 18/11/2022
Applying frameworks from interactional pragmatics in the analysis of interpreter-mediated interaction
CIUTI International conference 2022, Lima, Peru, 17/9/2022
Exploring professional taboos in interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act assessments
EFSLI 2022 Conference, Manchester, 4/9/2022
Interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act assessments: the INforMHAA study
National institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Social Care Research Annual Conference, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, 26/4/2022
Ethics of exploring interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act assessments
CIUTI Conference 2021: Ethics and professional codes of practice for translators and interpreters: new contexts in the profession and training, University of Granada, 16/9/2021
Interactional pragmatics and interpreter-mediated mental healthcare interactions
17th International Pragmatics Conference, Winterthur, Switzerland, 27/7/2021
The ‘vast and differentiated’ nature of the mental healthcare field and its impact on interpreters’ role/positioning
Researching Interactional Variation across settings: Impact on Interpreters’ Role, Centre for Translation and Interpreting Studies in Scotland (CTISS), Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 22/2/2021
Interpreting psychometric tests: the human factor in interpreter-mediated mental healthcare consultations
7th International conference on public services interpreting and translation (PSIT7), Madrid, Spain, 26/3/2020
What aspects of context affect interpreting performance?
InDialog 3 / ENPSIT Interpreter practice, research and training: the impact of context, Antwerp, 29/11/2019
Person-centred care when linguistically and culturally diverse (LACD) patients are involved
International Symposium for Young Researchers. Departament de Traducció i d'Interpretació. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 29/6/2019
Inter-professional collaboration in interpreter-mediated mental healthcare in the age of artificial intelligence
Critical Link International 9 Tokyo (CLI9), International University of Health and Welfare (IUHW), Tokyo, Japan, 14/6/2019
Healthcare interpreting and person-centred care
6th Durham Postgraduate Conference on Translation Studies, University College, Durham, United Kingdom, 1/6/2019
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Language Expert 1 (LA041)
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Concepts of Translation and Cultural Mediation (LA043)
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Practice of Translation and Cultural Mediation I (LA053)
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Language Studies Capstone Project (LA059)
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Translation, Interpreting and Subtitling Skills (LA067)
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Modern Languages Capstone Project (LA069)
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Interpreting Practice I (LA835)
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Interpreting Practice II (LA840)
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Advanced Consecutive Interpreting (LA892)
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Professional Skills for Translators and Interpreters (LA895)
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Conference Interpreting Case Studies (LA897)
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Forensic Linguistics (LG364)
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Principles of Translation and Interpreting (LA871)
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Linguistics in Action (LG119)
Publications
Journal articles (4)
Tipton, R., Napier, J., Rodriguez Vicente, N., Young, A., Vicary, S. and Hulme, C., (2025). ‘Just interpret’: problematising demands and controls for effective interprofessional working in statutory mental health assessments. Interpreting. 27 (2), 221-251
Young, A., Vicary, S., Tipton, R., Rodriguez Vicente, N., Napier, J., Hulme, C. and Espinoza, F., (2024). Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) perspectives on interpreter mediated Mental Health Act assessments. Journal of Social Work. 24 (2), 219-239
Vicary, S., Young, A., Rodriguez Vicente, N., Tipton, R., Napier, J. and Hulme, S., (2024). The luxury of time: a reflexive thematic analysis of omnipresence, contradiction, and passivity in interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act Assessments. Qualitative Social Work: research and practice. 24 (1), 111-126
Rodriguez Vicente, N., Young, A., Tipton, R., Napier, J., Vicary, S. and Hulme, C., (2024). Interpreter mediation in statutory mental health assessments: a scoping review. Interpreting and Society: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 4 (2), 159-195
Book chapters (2)
Monteoliva-García, E. and Rodriguez Vicente, N., (2023). Characterising ‘Interpreting Problems’ in Two Public Service Settings. In: A Qualitative Approach to Translation Studies: Spotlighting Translation Problems. Editors: De la Cova, E. and Calvo, E., . Routledge: Taylor & Francis. 273- 288. 9781032182483
Rodriguez Vicente, N., Napier, J. and de Pedro Ricoy, R., (2021). Dialogue Interpreting and Person-Centred Care in a Clinical Mental Healthcare Setting. In: Empirical Studies of Translation and Interpreting: The Post-Structuralist Approach. Editors: Wang, C. and Binghan, Z., . Routledge. 29- 48. 9780367856106
Reports and Papers (4)
Young, A., Tipton, R. and Rodriguez Vicente, N., Mind your language - https://blog.policy.manchester.ac.uk/ethnicity/2024/04/mind-your-language-interpreters-in-mental-health-act-assessments/
Rodriguez Vicente, N., Young, A., Tipton, R., Napier, J., Vicary, S. and Hulme, C., (2024). InforMHAA: Best practices for Approved Mental Health Professionals and Interpreters working together
Young, A., Rodriguez Vicente, N., Tipton, R., Napier, J., Vicary, S. and Hulme, C., (2022). Scoping Review of interpreter-mediated assessments under the Mental Health Act (1983) and international equivalents
Rodriguez Vicente, N., (2020). Multiple case study evaluation of 'What matters to you?' in day-to-day practice - https://ihub.scot/improvement-programmes/evidence-and-evaluation-for-improvement/summaries-of-evaluation-work/multiple-case-study-evaluation-of-what-matters-to-you-in-day-to-day-practice/
Thesis dissertation (1)
Rodriguez Vicente, N., (2021). Dialogue interpreting in Psychological Medicine: an exploration of rapport management practices
Other (1)
Rodriguez Vicente, N., (2026).Four symbolic moments in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show,The Conversation
Grants and funding
2025
Addressing language-based inequalities: improving interprofessional collaboration between mental health providers and interpreters in South Africa
University of Essex (QR Impact Fund)
SA-UK network for enhancing sign langauge interpreting in statutory health and social care
Academy of Medical Sciences
Impact Leave - Addressing Language-Based Inequalities in Mental Healthcare
University of Essex (QR Impact Fund)
2024
Building capacity to publish in high-impact journals through mentorship and interdisciplinary training for Kenya-based early career researchers in Applied Linguistics and Psychology
British Academy
2021
The INforMHAA study: Interpreter-mediated mental health act assessments (Extension with Manchester)
National Institute for Health Research
Contact
Academic support hours:
Thursdays, 12pm - 2pm