Oltre ruoli e codici: la figura del mediatore linguistico culturale nella realtà dell’accoglienza.

The aim of this paper is to present the figure of the dialogue interpreter working in the reception system, by analyzing his/her daily tasks and some problematic cases that could push him/her to make personal choices. The first chapter presents the Italian reception system and focuses on the SPRAR and its professional figures. The second chapter describes interpreters' roles, their assignments and code of ethics, whilst taking into account debates which concern some of their characteristics. The third chapter highlights four cases which are rarely taken into account by codes of ethics and may push the interpreter to come to a personal decision: the case of the in-between, the case of the interpreter who behaves as an advocate for the migrant and two cases which show how empathy can have an effect on the conversation and on the interpreters themselves. By referring to the literature of this field, different strategies are presented and analysed.