Moayad Abu Siyam: “It takes time to win the clients’ trust as an interpreter”

Moayad arrived in Belgium in 2013 as a refugee. During the 2015 refugee crisis, he volunteered for the OCMW in Roeselare as an interpreter English-Arabic.

That is where he first learnt about Solentra. After being a client at Solentra himself, Moayad now regularly interprets for the organisation.

Before you started interpreting for Solentra, you were a client yourself. What was your experience?

It was not easy to seek help. In Arab cultures, you are quickly labelled as ‘crazy’ when you go to therapy. My psychologist – an angel – saw that I was under enormous stress and asked if I wanted to talk. She helped me deal with my anger.

Now, I understand how important it is to do things like taking a walk every day. I also like to look at stores and observe the colours and meanings of the advertisements without buying anything. These activities help me escape from the stress of real life and the past.

You can’t imagine how much this helped me. It made me a better person and gave me hope that one day things would turn out well.

What do you like most about being an interpreter?

I enjoy being part of a team that helps people deal with their trauma. What is unique about working for Solentra, is that you feel like you belong to a family that cares about one another. Even though a lot of colleagues come from different countries with different cultures, everyone is respected here.

What is the hardest part about it?

The most difficult thing about my task is hearing the many stories about people’s suffering and trauma. I deal with it by applying my psychologist’s advice: practising breathing exercises and other relaxation tips.

What skills does one need to interpret for Solentra?

As an interpreter, you need to be able to translate everything in a way that is understandable for both the client and the psychologist. This means you need to be mindful of different accents, cultural backgrounds and references, etc.

Clients are often afraid to show their vulnerability at first and open up out of fear for their privacy. Therefore, you also need to know how to win the clients’ trust and make them feel safe during sessions. How to do this, will depend on the patient and their situation. It takes time. This is why I find it important to work with a fixed interpreter per client as much as possible.