The Medical Interpreter Blog

Sometimes, being an interpreter can be a lonely profession. When I worked as a freelance medical interpreter, spending my days driving between hospitals and clinics in the Greater Seattle area, my friend and a fellow interpreter Angelika and I worked for many of the same agencies and often took appointments at the same hospitals, and so we often joked about the fact that our go-to meeting place was a hospital parking garage – because that’s where we often meet and snatch a few minutes of hurried catch-up before running off to our respective assignments. If you work remotely, it might be even harder to connect to other folks in your profession. So where to start? This blog post will outline several ways to help you feel like you are not alone in the sea of medical interpreting – read on for ways to connect!

💼 Professional organizations

Professional organizations and/or associations help you connect with fellow interpreters who get what you’re going through. Swap stories, share tips, and basically have your own support squad. It’s like joining a language superhero team! But that’s not all – these groups are like treasure troves of knowledge. These organizations usually offer free or discounted workshops, events, and even maintain collections of resources to keep you on top of your language game. The biggest event of the year is often an annual conference, some of which gather interpreters from all corners of the US, both virtually and in person. Being part of a professional organization also adds a shiny badge of credibility to your interpreter CV. It shows employers that you’re serious about your job. These organizations are like your voice in the superhero headquarters. They fight for fair pay, better work conditions, and shout out loud about the crucial role interpreters play in healthcare. So, joining in means you’re part of a big, powerful movement. So, there you have it – joining professional organizations is like upgrading from a solo language hero to a whole team of language superheroes. Together, you’re not just breaking language barriers; you’re changing the game in healthcare.

I’m a proud member of NOTIS (The Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society), which not only organizes classes and workshops for interpreters (some of which I teach) but also puts on a annual conference and fun holiday parties. I am also a board member of CHIA (The California Healthcare Interpreting Association), which holds one of the biggest and most prominent conferences for medical interpreters every year and a member of the Standards and Training Committee of the NCIHC (National Council on Interpreting in Health Care).

There is a number of regional and national professional organizations in the US. See the sources below for some ideas:

• List of professional organizations from NCIHC
• List of interpreters associations from the IMIA

Conferences, workshops and holiday parties are a great opportunity to learn, to network and to meet new friends (and to show off your ugly Christmas sweater!), but how do you connect with fellow interpreters and translators outside of such events? Luckily, we language professionals are nothing if not resourceful and there are many online communities, blogs, groups and other places where interpreters and translators can talk, ask for advice, and share their wisdom and experience with others.

✍️ Blogs by Interpreters 

Not all of these blogs are strictly for medical interpreters, but I know many interpreters who work in multiple industries – and it’s always fun to learn what our colleagues are up to! Plus many skills and techniques are transferrable between different types of interpreting.

• KGH Interpretation – a blog by Spanish medical and mental health interpreter Kelly (Grzech) Henriquez – and a fellow interpreter trainer at AALB (Americans Against Language Barriers). I have so much respect for Kelly and her contributions to the medical interpreting community – her blog is a veritable treasure trove of information!
• ThatInterpreter – a blog about interpreting by a freelance Spanish interpreter Liz Essary with interesting stories, tips, and resources. 
• Athena Sky Interpreting – an interesting blog with stories about interpreting and language.
• The Open Mike – a website “Where translators share their stories and where clients find professional translators.” There lots of useful resources – I especially like this post on free resources for translators.
• Katie L Ward – another blog aimed at translators by Katie Ward, a French and Spanish to English freelance translator, based in Brighton, England.

🤳 YouTube Channels

• Connecting Cultures Healthcare Interpreters has TONS of short useful videos discussing all kinds of issues interpreters deal with – from what to wear to dealing with ethical dilemmas. 
• InterpreTips is so amazing I don’t have any words, so I’ll just post the description from their website: “CCC and InterpretAmerica proudly bring you InterpreTIPS. In short, videos that we post every other week, Marjory Bancroft (Director & Founder, CCC) or Katharine Allen (Co-President, InterpretAmerica) will answer those burning questions you always wanted to ask about interpreting. Is “consecutaneous” mode acceptable? Should community interpreters do sight translation? How do you handle a pregnant patient who gets your number and calls you up crying in the middle of the night? Just ask. We’ll answer.”
• A YouTube channel by an interpreter trainer Eliana Lobo where she put together an incredible collection of videos for interpreters.
• Interpreter Trainers has several useful videos – especially the two videos on note-taking.
• The Interpreter Education Online channel features several animated videos, each showcasing a canon from the healthcare interpreter code of ethics. 
• DE LA MORA Interpreter Training offers several videos on how to become a medical/legal interpreter and ideas on improving your interpreter skills. 
• Clarity Interpreting’s channel contains a good collection of videos offering advice on topics such as preparing for assignments, note-taking, and managing interpreting encounters.
• Kelly Grzech Henriquez’s channel features several videos she personally created for medical interpreters to use to practice consecutive interpreting.

🎙️ Podcasts about interpreting and translation

If you are not sure what podcasts are and would like to learn more about what podcasts are and how to listen to them, as well as find a list of podcasts for medical interpreters I have put together, check out this post devoted to podcasts.

• NCIHC Podcast ” Interpreting for Healthcare – Ensuring language access for all!”. This series of 30-minute podcasts are intended for healthcare interpreters, and anyone interested in improving linguistic access to healthcare. The National Council’s Standards & Training Committee hosts some of the brightest, most creative minds in the field to keep you abreast of emerging trends and best practices in our profession.
• In Other Words is “a weekly podcast for Interpreters and Healthcare Professionals, where the hosts discuss everything from language, culture, diversity, healthcare, current events, and interpreter education, one episode at a time.”
• Brand the Interpreter is a “is all about you, the language professional. This new podcast will feature an array of language service providers willing to share their career stories, challenges, tips and tricks and so much more. Telling your story is your brand. So tell your story and Brand the Interpreter!”
• Subject to Interpretation – “Conversations about professional interpretation with the best in the field.”
• Localization Podcast – It’s hard to stay on top of what’s going on in localization and translation. “The Localization Podcast” brings you a highlight of important news and social media topics from our industry. Each Tuesday, join Andrej Zito as he provides commentary in a rather casual way. Translator, project manager or CEO? Client-side or language service provider? If you look for a fresh perspective, this is the podcast for you.
• Medical Spanish – These medical Spanish lessons are based on common clinical encounters and interviews with real patients and providers.
• Globally Speaking is a podcast “by and for localization professionals.”
• The World in Words podcast is “about language — everything from bilingual education to the globalization of English to Icelandic insults.”
• Speaking of Translation – “Listen and learn about the language industry.”
• Troublesome Terps is a “roundtable-style podcast covering topics from the interpreting space and the wider world of languages. The hosts – Jonathan Downie, Alexander Drechsel, Alexander Gansmeier, and Sarah Hickey – discuss them amongst themselves or with high-profile guests from the industry.”

Here are some podcast episodes where I hosted an episode or appeared as a guest:

Brand the Interpreter: Being the Voice with Yuliya Speroff – the original episode and the Q&A session.

NCIHC Interpreting for Healthcare Podcast – The one where Allison Larimore, a trauma and vascular research nurse for the University of Washington Surgery Department at Harborview Medical Center, sets a great example of a healthcare professional who works closely with medical interpreters and sees them as full-fledged members of the healthcare team.

NCIHC Interpreting for Healthcare Podcast – The one where Katharine Allen reflects on her impressive biography, shares memories of being at the forefront of the interpreting profession’s emergence in the US, and offers her vision of artificial intelligence (AI) spreading across the globe.

💻 Facebook Groups and Online Forums

• ProZ Forums: Translation industry discussion forums Open discussion on topics related to translation, interpreting and localization – but you do need to register to be able to view and participate in the forums. Registration is free, although there are also options for upgrading.
• Facebook Group: U.S. Medical Interpreters.  
• Facebook Group: Medical Translation and Interpreting Crew. 
• Facebook Group: Certified Medical and Healthcare Interpreters UNITE!
• Facebook Group: Medical Interpreters Spanish/English
• Facebook Group: Resource Center for Certified Interpreters

📚 Misc resources

Healthcare Interpreting in Small Bites by Cynthia E. Roat 

Description from the author: “This book teaches about the world of healthcare interpreters in a way that is educational, understandable and fun! This compendium of articles, written over the past eight years for Pacific Interpreters’ monthly newsletter, covers both basic interpreting skills and many of the sticky issues that working interpreters face daily. Whether you are an interpreter, a trainer of interpreters or an administrator of interpreter services, this book will make you laugh, nod your head, and think hard about the important work you do.”

Introduction to Healthcare for Spanish-speaking Interpreters and Translators

I’m not a Spanish interpreter but I still found this book useful. From the Amazon description: “This book is based on the very popular international publication (Crezee, 2013) and has been supplemented with Spanish glossaries. Just like the 2013 textbook, this practical resource will allow interpreters and translators to quickly read up on healthcare settings, familiarizing themselves with anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and frequently encountered conditions, diagnostic tests and treatment options. It is an exceptionally useful and easily accessible handbook, in particular for interpreters, translators, educators and other practitioners working between Spanish and English. A special chapter on the US insurance system adds even more value for those in the US.”

Intersect

Intersect is a weekly e-newsletter with breaking news on language, culture and interpreting from Cross Cultural Communications. You can subscribe to the newsletter to receive weekly missiles full of useful information or, if you want to see what you’ve missed, they have helpfully put together a list of past newsletters – find the archive below the sign-up field. 

Articles about interpreting by Holly Mikkelson

A collection of articles by a renowned interpreter trainer.

 NCIHC Working Papers 

From the description on the website: “The working papers are designed to provide answers to commonly asked questions regarding health care interpreting, such as: What should the role of an interpreter be? How do you test interpreters when no certification test is available? What models exist for providing language access services? As a rule, Working Papers are drafted by a committee of experts, or sometimes by a single expert at the request of a committee. The content of the papers often reflects discussions held by the Council as a whole. The draft is then reviewed by the entire board, whose input is integrated into the final product.”

🌟 New! The Medical Interpreter Blog now brings you self-paced continuing education courses approved for CEUs by CCHI, IMIA/NBCMI and WA DSHS. Learn more here! 🌟