Tag: interpreting skills
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Interpreting in Mental Health: Resources and Terminology
The collection of resources will help medical interpreters learn more about mental health. t is important for medical interpreters to learn about mental health because they will likely find themselves interpreting in various encounters where mental health will be discussed – from primary care appointments, to trauma counselling, groups therapy…
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What does compassion mean for medical interpreters?
When you ask healthcare providers to give some examples of when they showed compassion to a patient, you may hear a story of a nurse who spent extra time, the time they did not have, in a patient’s room when the patient was frail, scared and lonely. A doctor might…
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Emergency Room Interpreting: Essential Knowledge and Preparedness
In the world of medical interpretation, the emergency room (ER) or emergency department (ED) presents unique challenges for interpreters. Medical interpreters play a crucial role in ensuring swift and accurate communication in these intense settings.
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Interpreting for Spiritual Care – Short Guide for Healthcare Interpreters
This article introduces medical interpreters to the amazing work of healthcare spiritual care providers, argues that medical interpreters have a responsibility to prepare for interpreting for spiritual encounters as they would for any other healthcare encounter, and provides some resources to do that. Spiritual care, which may also be called…
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Virology Terminology Resources for Medical Interpreters: from COVID-19 and HIV to Vaccines and Immunity
In light of the global pandemic, viruses have been in the news and on our mind – and while it certainly has brought viruses into the spotlight, they actually existed 3.5 billion years before humans evolved on Earth! Viruses are also most numerous microbes on earth – there are more viruses than…
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Interpreting Humor and Jokes: Who has the Last Laugh?
What happens when either the patient or the provider makes a joke during an interpreting assignment? Or maybe worse, what do you do if someone flirts with you during an assignment? These unpredictable situations may seem harmless and playful to the person making the joke but could lead to awkward…
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Thank You For the Words: Building Your Interpreter Glossary
I’m not sure where this drawing is from but from time to time it makes rounds in various interpreter groups on social media. Aside from being funny, the image captures the true nature of the interpreter profession: it’s a highly-skilled job. Being a good interpreter involves well-developed listening and speaking…
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For Interpreters by Interpreters: Useful Resources and Interesting Content
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…
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Resources for Interpreting in Cancer Care
As interpreters, we should always strive to develop our knowledge and our glossaries. Whether you’re a seasoned interpreter who wants to brush up on oncology terminology before an appointment or a new interpreter who wants to be ready for interpreting in cancer care, I hope this list of resources will…
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Pre-session: a Medical Interpreter’s Best Friend
A pre-session can help interpreters address and avoid problematic situations. Unfortunately, it’s true that a pre-session does not grantee that everything will go perfectly. Patients and doctors might still address all their questions to the interpreter or make comments to the interpreter and not intended for each other’s ears. However,…
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Resources for Medical Interpreters: Skill-Building and Medical Terminology
Below is a collection of resources that can be used to practice consecutive and simultaneous interpreting skills, and sight translation skills. I am hoping these resources will be useful for healthcare interpreters with all levels of experience – those just starting out and preparing to take their exams or their…