Najat Sijilmassi, University Jaume I
The current political situation in the Arab world has led to a massive Arab migration towards European countries the hope of finding a better life. However, one of the first obstacles the new immigrants and refugees face is their inability to access many local services, especially public services, due to their lack of proficiency in the States’ languages. This issue is specially challenging as regards their access to justice. In many occasions, newcomers have no other option but to seek assistance from old immigrants or refugees, including children, to act as interpreters or mediators between them and the public services. The overwhelming lack of provision of linguistic services by the States impedes the integration of refugees and immigrants in host societies, thereby impacting their personal development as well as the socioeconomic development of their hosting societies. The present paper aims to discuss a specific case study: Arab immigrants and refugees choosing Valencia as their new home. Two methods of data collection were used: a questionnaire and protocols of face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire was designed to gather information about the different situations where refugees needed linguistic assistance—whether they occurred immediately after their arrival or during their whole period in the new country, whether their needs were met and, in this case, who was in charge of the mediation. A semi-structured interview was conducted with respondents after completing the questionnaire to gain insights regarding their views and perspectives as to how the lack or presence of mediation affected their personal, social and labor possibilities.