Reflection-in-action: Measuring ‘context’ in medical interpreting

Community interpreting scholarship has solidly established the importance of appreciating the nuances of context to effective interpreting practice (Angelelli, 2004; Wadensjo?, 1998). Several frameworks for identifying and articulating the way context affects interpreting work have been articulated (Dean & Pollard, 2011). What is less well documented is the way interpreters learn to develop an understanding of context and how that subsequently informs their practice. This article describes the development and implementation of a tool to assess interpreters’ facility in identifying and articulating context – specifically in healthcare settings. The activities and the assessment tool are grounded in the educational theories of Donald Schön and his foregrounding of the intuitive practice abilities of professionals. The resulting assessment tool was refined through its use in postgraduate courses in healthcare interpreting, where various aspects of the healthcare context were explained using videos of provider–patient interactions. Through reflective practice activities, students analysed their practical knowledge and skills and improved their context-based insight. Currently designed for signed language interpreters in medical settings based in the United States, this multi-component assessment tool can be adapted to various contexts in community interpreting.

Visibility of Chinese ad hoc medical interpreters through text ownership: A case study

Professional interpreters’ visibility in the European context has been widely discussed in the field of community interpreting, but the visibility of untrained ad hoc interpreters in non-European contexts such as China has received little academic attention. By adopting the concept of “text ownership” proposed by Angelelli (2004a), this study examines Chinese ad hoc interpreters’ manifestations of visibility in an authentic medical setting. Based on field observations, audio recordings and interviews, the study reports on four types of visibility demonstrated by ad hoc interpreters: (a) replacing the interlocutor; (b) expressing affect towards a patient; (c) exploring answers; and (d) brokering comprehension. Other forms of visibility are also identified, such as omissions of doctors’ or patients’ remarks and small talk between doctor and interpreter. Interpreters’ deeply held views on social factors as well as the institutional and social norms they have been exposed to are believed to influence their manipulation of medical discourses. This study concludes that in a context where professional medical interpreting services are unavailable, ad hoc interpreters may act as linguistic facilitators by taking on various roles that go beyond mere interpreting. However, their excessive visibility may give rise to potential clinical risks, especially when direct doctor–patient communication is compromised. Attention is drawn to the importance of proper training as well as to the need for the professionalization of medical interpreting in China.

Technical Meets Traditional: Language, Culture, and the Challenges Faced by Hmong Medical Interpreters

Introduction Ineffective intercultural communication can occur due to inaccurate medical interpreting for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients. Research shows that Hmong patients experience poorer quality interpreter services than other LEP populations. This study’s purpose is to understand Hmong medical interpreters’ perceptions of the factors that affect their ability to make accurate medical interpretations during clinical encounters. Method A qualitative study was conducted with Hmong-speaking medical interpreters. The interviews were semistructured, audio recorded, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results 13 interpreters aged 29 to 49 years participated in the study. Three factors affected the interpreters’ ability to make accurate medical interpretations for Hmong-speaking patients: (a) matched gender between the interpreter and patient, (b) culturally taboo topics in communicating about reproductive body parts and sexual health/activity, and (c) culture and generational language differences between interpreters and Hmong patients. Discussion Clinical encounters that match patient–interpreter ages, gender, and/or local culture may reduce communication barriers.

A Better Medical Interpreting Service

Medical interpreting has become a new research focus in recent decades, but few studies have discussed the role of interpreter in combination with strategies. This paper aims to work out how a medical interpreter plays his or her role and adopts strategies when interpreting between English and Chinese. Based on a first-hand medical interpreting corpus, this empirical study tagged the interpretation and made a detailed analysis of the interpreter's role and strategies. The results revealed that under the guideline of Goffman's participation framework theory the medical interpreter facilitated the therapeutic talk via three roles, namely “animator,” “author,” “principal”; for each role, different interpreting strategies, like “supplement,” “omission,” “compression,” etc. were adopted. Moreover, the study found motives behind interpreting strategies under the specific context. The sociological discussions are presented in the hope of enhancing medical interpreters' understanding of their roles and the importance of adopting more flexible strategies in order to provide better service.