Overcoming the language barrier: a novel curriculum for training medical students as volunteer medical interpreters

Background Over 41 million people in the United States speak Spanish as their primary language, of which 16 million have limited English proficiency (LEP). It is well-established that language barriers contribute to health disparities and that the use of ad-hoc interpretation by untrained family members results in substandard care. We developed a novel interpreter training program for medical students to serve as in-person interpreters at a charitable, resident continuity clinic so as to overcome the language barrier in the delivery of healthcare to LEP patients. Methods The Medical Student Interpreter Training Program (MSITP) consists of three steps. First, fluent Spanish-speaking students shadowed a licensed interpreter. Second, students took a standardized phone exam to demonstrate language proficiency. Finally, students completed a three-hour training on the methodology and ethics of interpreting conducted by the Department of Interpreter Services. Results Pre- and post-tests were administered to assess students’ familiarity with the Interpreter Code of Ethics and interpreter skills. Familiarity with the Interpreter Code of Ethics increased significantly with all students reporting feeling comfortable (47%) or very comfortable (53%) after training. The pre- and post-tests included free response questions, which were administered to assess competence in the methodology and ethics of interpreting. The cohort’s aggregate score increased by 35% after the training (Wilcoxon signed rank z-score = 2.53; p = .01). Conclusions Implementing the MSITP resulted in an increased number of trained, Spanish-speaking interpreters available to provide their services to LEP patients at an affiliated charitable clinic and throughout the university hospital. Unlike other program models which are time and resource-intensive, this program is replicable and easily managed by volunteers. The MSITP is an effective model for training students as medical interpreters to ensure the delivery of quality healthcare for LEP patients.

Some Important Factors Hindering the Civic Integration of Ethnic Minorities

The purpose of this article is to compile and group the list of problems that hinder the integration of ethnic minorities in the political, economic and cultural life of the country, based on research conducted by various organizations over the past 10 yearს. According to these studies, the main problem is, on the one hand, the language barrier and, on the other hand, ethnic-nationalist tendencies and stereotypes. These national mythologies and notions play one of the crucial roles in the formation of national self-identification. Ethno-nationalist tendencies are strong both in minorities and in ethnic Georgians. There are several factors behind the emergence of the ethnonationalism in Georgia First of all, it is the legacy of Soviet totalitarianism, as well as the result of the current socio-political situation. Understanding these two factors will give us a better answer as to why ethnic-nationalist sentiments are still prevailing in Georgia and why the integration of the ethnic minorities is hindered, despite being repeatedly declared by the state. The language barrier of ethnic minorities is also an important problem in the process of integration into society. The education system should make the knowledge of the state language accessible to ethnic minorities and, at the same time, ensure the protection of minority languages. To do this, the state must maximize and encourage local staff; The general system of education should ensure the upbringing of the citizen of the country and not put any group (even the majority) in an advantageous situation. show the advantage of any (even the majority) group.

Disparities in Care and Outcome of Stroke Patients from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in Metropolitan Australia

Background: Acute stroke is a time-critical emergency where diagnosis and acute management are highly dependent upon the accuracy of the patient’s history. We hypothesised that the language barrier is associated with delayed onset time to thrombolysis and poor clinical outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the effect of language barriers on time to thrombolysis and clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. Concerning the method, this is a retrospective study of all patients admitted to a metropolitan stroke unit (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) with an acute ischemic stroke treated with tissue plasminogen activator between 1/2013 and 9/2017. Baseline characteristics, thrombolysis time intervals, length of stay, discharge destination, and in-hospital mortality were compared among patients with and without a language barrier using multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, sex, stroke severity, premorbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Language barriers were defined as a primary language other than English. A total of 374 patients were included. Our findings show that 76 patients (20.3%) had a language barrier. Mean age was five years older for patients with language barriers (76.7 vs. 71.8 years, p = 0.004). Less non-English speaking patients had premorbid mRS score of zero (p = 0.002), and more had premorbid mRS score of one or two (p = 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of stroke severity on presentation (p = 0.06). The onset to needle time was significantly longer in patients with a language barrier (188 min vs. 173 min, p = 0.04). Onset to arrival and door to imaging times were reassuringly similar between the two groups. However, imaging to needle time was 9 min delayed in non-English speaking patients with a marginal p value (65 vs. 56 min, p = 0.06). Patients with language barriers stayed longer in the stroke unit (six vs. four days, p = 0.02) and had higher discharge rates than residential aged care facilities in those admitted from home (9.2% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.02). In-hospital mortality was not different between the two groups (p = 0.8). In conclusion, language barriers were associated with almost 14 min delay in thrombolysis. The delay was primarily attributable to imaging to needle time. Language barriers were also associated with poorer clinical outcomes.

Real Time Human Gesture Recognition: Methods, Datasets and Strategies

Gestures are universal means of communication without any language barrier. Detecting gestures and recognition of its meaning are key steps for researchers in computer vision. Majority of the work is done in sign language already. Sign language datasets are compared with respect to their usability and diversity in terms of various signs. This paper highlights the available datasets from three dimensional body scans to hand action gestures. Their usability and strategies used to achieve the desired results are also discussed. Major neural networks are evaluated in terms of varied parameters and feutures. A Methodology for effective gesture recognition in real is proposed. Lastly Results achieved through an Open CV in combination with Sci-kit learn library based technique for gesture recognition are presented and analyzed in terms of efficacy and efficiency.

Khotyn battle 1621. Іgnored source in ukrainian historiography

The article offers a historiographical consideration of the description of the Khotyn battle 1621with an emphasis on the historical value of M. Kostin's “Chronicle of the Land of Moldova” in the coverage of theevent. The relevance of the study is dictated by the 400th anniversary of the battle. The purpose of the study is to clarify the historical significance of thechronicle in revealing the theme of the Battle of Khotyn in 1621. Methodology describes the work of M. Kostin, its source base, comparison with other historical sources, review of its use. Conclusions. “Chronicle of the Land of Moldova” by Myron Kostin, being the only source for studying the history of Moldova in the early and mid seventeenth century. at the same time it is a true description of the events of the Khotyn War (1620–1621). Although the chronicler is not a contemporary of the events, his account of the Battle of Khotyn is based on serious Polish sources of the relevant era, oral information from contemporaries of the fighting, the traditions of the princely family of Movileshty, and so on. The work is positively characterized by a deep and detailed description of events, impartiality, clear analysis of military operations of a participant in many battles, education of the author and his broad outlook, which allowed him to understand the causal links of actions, actions of the parties, unconditional literary talent M. Kostin. His disregard for the events of the Khotyn War of 1621 by a number of Ukrainian historians shows a reluctance to consider the event comprehensively, using all sources. Moreover, we see a focus on showing only one fragment of this historical event, the participation of the Ukrainian side in it. The language barrier to the use of the Chronicle is no more a problem than a political motive.

Code-Mixing in Student Interaction of Japan UKM Members in State Polytechnic of Bali

Code-Mixing often occurs in a place where there are various ethnicities, tribes, languages, and various cultures. One of them is at the State Polytechnic of Bali. This study aims to describe the form of code-mixing that appears in the interactions of Students Extracurricular Unit of Japan called UKM Jepang members of the State Polytechnic of Bali and explain the motives for using code-mixing in the interactions. The data used in this study is the result of the interaction of students who are members of the UKM Jepang, State Polytechnic of Bali, indicated to cause Code-Mixing both offline and online. Furthermore, the research approach used in this study is a qualitative approach with the type of research being descriptive research. The results showed that the form of Code-Mixing that occurred in students of Japanese UKM members of the State Polytechnic of Bali occurred in mixing nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. The motives that cause the emergence of code-mixing include the consideration of the interlocutor, namely members of UKM Jepang who both understand Japanese vocabulary. Besides, some special terms in Japanese are considered more appropriate to be conveyed by students on certain topics related to Japan, and they deliberately mix the code to make the conversation more interesting. On the other hand, Some Japanese vocabulary has no meaning that can be spoken in conversation in Indonesian, which causes students to use the term and become a new 'vocabulary' in Indonesian. They accidentally did lexical borrowing to meet the language barrier and cause code-mixing.