A Study on the Training of Korea’s 1st Medical Interpreters in 2009

2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joong Chol Kwak
Keyword(s):  
Medical Interpreters

Improving Communication Skills in Health Care

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-117
Author(s):  
Lynda Katz Wilner ◽  
Marjorie Feinstein-Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
International Medical Graduate ◽  
Medical Graduate ◽  
Health Care Environment ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Accent Modification

Hospital reimbursements are linked to patient satisfaction surveys, which are directly related to interpersonal communication between provider and patient. In today’s health care environment, interactions are challenged by diversity — Limited English proficient (LEP) patients, medical interpreters, International Medical Graduate (IMG) physicians, nurses, and support staff. Accent modification training for health care professionals can improve patient satisfaction and reduce adverse events. Surveys were conducted with medical interpreters and trainers of medical interpreting programs to determine the existence and support for communication skills training, particularly accent modification, for interpreters and non-native English speaking medical professionals. Results of preliminary surveys suggest the need for these comprehensive services. 60.8% believed a heavy accent, poor diction, or a different dialect contributed to medical errors or miscommunication by a moderate to significant degree. Communication programs should also include cultural competency training to optimize patient care outcomes. Examples of strategies for training are included.

Spanish Medical Interpreters’ Management of Challenges in End of Life Discussions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary G. Rhodes ◽  
Kathlyn E. Fletcher ◽  
Francois Blumenfeld-Kouchner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Medical Interpreters

scholarly journals Addressing the Needs of Migrant Workers in ICUs in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 238212052097719
Author(s):  
Crystal Lim ◽  
Jamie Xuelian Zhou ◽  
Natalie Liling Woong ◽  
Min Chiam ◽  
Lalit Kumar Radha Krishna
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Medical Terminology ◽  
Singapore General Hospital ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
General Wards

Background: With nearly 400 000 migrant workers in Singapore, many from Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, language and cultural barriers posed a great many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was especially so as majority of the COVID-19 clusters in Singapore emerged from their communal dormitories. With concerns arising as to how this minority group could be best cared for in the intensive care units, the need for medical interpreters became clear. Main: In response, the Communication and Supportive Care (CSC) workgroup at the Singapore General Hospital developed the ‘Medical Interpreters Training for ICU Conversations’ program. Led by a medical social worker-cum-ethicist and 2 palliative care physicians, twenty volunteers underwent training. The program comprised of 4 parts. Firstly, volunteers were provided with an overview of challenges within the COVID-19 isolation ICU environment. Discussed in detail were common issues between patients and families, forms of distress faced by healthcare workers, family communication modality protocols, and the sociocultural demographics of Singapore’s migrant worker population. Secondly, key practice principles and ‘Do’s/Don’ts’ in line with the ethical principles of medical interpretation identified by the California Healthcare Interpreters Association were shared. Thirdly, practical steps to consider before, during and at the end of each interpretation session were foregrounded. Lastly, a focus group discussion on the complexities of ICU cases and their attending issues was conducted. Targeted support was further provided in response to participant feedback and specific issues raised. Conclusion: As a testament to its efficacy, the program has since been extended to the general wards and the Ministry of Health in Singapore has further commissioned similar programs in various hospitals. In-depth training on the fundamentals of medical terminology, language and cultural competency should be provided to all pertinent healthcare workers and hospitals should consider hiring medical interpreters in permanent positions.

The impact of a health introduction course for medical interpreters in the healthcare sector

2020 ◽  
pp. 205715852097518
Author(s):  
Leila Saud Abdulkadir ◽  
Morten Sodemann ◽  
Claire Gudex ◽  
Sören Möller ◽  
Dorthe Susanne Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Multiple Choice Questions ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

The aim was to examine the impact on interpreters’ health knowledge, attitudes and self-evaluated skills after they participated in a pilot health introduction course at a university hospital in Denmark. The study was conducted as an intervention study using a questionnaire with both closed and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was distributed to interpreters one week before the six-week course started, and again at one week and at three months after course completion. Level of knowledge was calculated based on the number of answers to 18 multiple-choice questions on common health issues, diagnoses and treatments. Of the 100 interpreters who registered for the course, 86 completed the course, and 61 of these participants (70%) completed both the baseline and the one-week questionnaire. The mean knowledge score increased from 48 ( SD 6.9) at baseline to 52 ( SD 3.4; p < 0.001) one week after the course and was 51 ( SD 7.3; p < 0.001) three months after the course ( n = 55). Participants who increased their knowledge score the most were those with the least interpreter experience ( p = 0.001). One week after the course, most participants (83–95%) agreed that the individual lessons had been useful in their subsequent interpreting activities and that they had gained useful information. The health introduction course appeared to be beneficial for interpreters. This study highlights the need for greater focus on education for interpreters working in the healthcare sector.

Professional Medical Interpreters

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1745-1745
Author(s):  
Suzanne Salimbene
Keyword(s):  
Medical Interpreters

scholarly journals Diseño de Nuevos Materiales para la Formación de Intérpretes en el Ámbito Sanitario (Especialidad: Español - Chino)

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 195-202
Author(s):  
Xi Wang
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare System ◽  
Chinese Language ◽  
Chinese Migrants ◽  
Training Materials ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Access Problems ◽  
Spanish Healthcare System ◽  
Training Professional

Resumen: En los últimos años, han llegado abundantes extranjeros a España importando sus lenguas y culturas, de los cuales muchos son de origen chino. Teniendo en cuenta las grandes distancias lingüísticas y culturales que existen entre dicha población y la población mayoritaria en el país de acogida, surgen problemas específicos cuando acuden al servicio sanitario. Ante esta situación actual la formación de intérpretes profesionales en el ámbito sanitario es un tema urgente. Los materiales para la formación en interpretación en el ámbito sanitario se caracterizan, hoy en día, por su escasez en comparación con otros ámbitos profesionales y, más aún, en la combinación lingüística español-chino. El uso de materiales adecuados puede promover el desarrollo de la formación y, en consecuencia, la profesionalización de la interpretación en el ámbito sanitario. Para llevar a cabo el trabajo, se han analizado los materiales existentes y descrito las competencias requeridas por la profesión, con el fin de identificar los aspectos más relevantes de la formación en la interpretación en el ámbito sanitario, en general, como los de la combinación lingüística y cultural, en particular, proponiendo criterios que se pueden aplicar en el diseño de nuevos materiales.Abstract: In recent years, the number of immigrants in Spain has increased considerably, particularly those who come from China. Due to the differences and distance between Spanish and Chinese languages and cultures, serious access problems arise when Chinese migrants want to use the Spanish healthcare system. In this case, the importance of training professional medical interpreters is particularly important. Compared with other professions, materials available to medical interpreters are scarce, even more regarding the Spanish-Chinese language combination. Suitable materials contribute to promote the development of quality training, so as to achieve the purpose of advancing the process of professionalisation. An analysis about the existing materials has been performed and the competences students need to achieve have been described. The ultimate goal of this analysis is to provide criteria for the design of training materials for Spanish-Chinese medical interpreters. 

scholarly journals Medical terminology circulation and interactional organisation in interpreter-mediated medical encounters

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Pittarello
Keyword(s):  
Informed Consent ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Personal Interest ◽  
Medical Terminology ◽  
Institutional Talk ◽  
Italian Hospital ◽  
Ethical Approval ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Written Informed Consent

Two medical encounters taking place in a Northern Italian hospital are analysed in this paper from a qualitative point of view, based on the author’s previous research. The aim is to reveal the strategies adopted by medical interpreters, in these two specific cases, to translate medical terminology and promote/exclude interlocutors’ active participation. This latter aspect is influenced by the way the interaction is socially and linguistically organised and, in particular, by how interlocutors’ utterances are translated. The prevalence of dyadic or triadic sequences and especially the shifts between such communication exchanges are pivotal in fostering or hindering interlocutors’ participation. Furthermore, medical interactions, as a form of institutional talk, enshrine specific expectations, which are mainly of a cognitive nature but may also be affective, as in the two encounters observed. By conveying such expectations and expressions of personal interest, interpreters have proved to contribute to the fair distribution of active participation among primary interlocutors. Hospital ethical approval and subjects’ written informed consent have been obtained.

Development of the Medical Interpreting Profession in the US

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Holly M. Mikkelson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Role Of Government ◽  
The Us ◽  
Medical Interpreters ◽  
Medical Interpreting ◽  
Further Development

This chapter traces the development of the medical interpreting profession in the United States as a case study. It begins with the conception of interpreters as volunteer helpers or dual-role medical professionals who happened to have some knowledge of languages other than English. Then it examines the emergence of training programs for medical interpreters, incipient efforts to impose standards by means of certification tests, the role of government in providing language access in health care, and the beginning of a labor market for paid medical interpreters. The chapter concludes with a description of the current situation of professional medical interpreting in the United States, in terms of training, certification and the labor market, and makes recommendations for further development.

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