Idioms and Cultural References for Medical Interpreters
Course Description: Healthcare interpreters invest a significant amount of time in learning medical terminology and the ins and outs of the US healthcare system – and rightly so. However, interpreting encounters in healthcare settings are not all dense medical jargon – they involve real people speaking real language, which may include small talk, stories, jokes, idioms, and cultural references. It might seem that interpreting idioms is less important than getting the medical facts right, but idioms may contain key messages such as descriptions of a patient’s progress or lack of it and speakers’ attitude to the situation. In this course, you will learn about different types of idiomatic expressions – with real-life examples from medical setting – and learn strategies for dealing with idioms and cultural references when interpreting. You will have an opportunity to develop your newly acquired skills through consecutive interpreting practice activities. There are several handouts that will help you reflect and practice what you learned available for download.
When you register for this course, you will get access to:
- Engaging videos going over the course material with real-life examples of use of idioms and cultural references
- Reflection and practice activities, including audio recording for consecutive interpreting practice and written exercises
- A list of references and resources
Course length: 2 hours
Continuing education units (CEUs):
- 2 hours CCHI – #10335
- 2 hours IMIA/NBCMI – Registry ID: 23-1239
- 2 hours WA DSHS – #733
Access: 30 days
Questions? Please email contact@medicalinterpreterblog.com
To register for the course, input your details below and click Register for the Course button.
What our students say:
“This was one of the most interesting and challenging courses that I have taken. It impressed me that even after 14 years as a medical interpreter there is still more effort that I need to dedicate to idioms and cultural references. I loved the way the course was structured. I learned a lot of new idioms. I will certainly recommend this course to my fellow interpreters here in TN. Thank you very much for developing this very useful course. ” – Dennis Caffrey
“I liked all the examples, and the end-of-course quiz is very thorough.” – Michelle
“Good video presentation, good, salient topic.” – Gleb