Reply To: Week 2 – Discussion Board 1

Hi Ladies,

My name is Alexandra I am your coach alongside Art. I am a Spanish interpreter and have been in the field for over 10years. With that, I can assure you that taking the time to do a presession is crucial in any given scenario. It helps with setting the expectations of the encounter and covering yourself for any wrongful expectations one may have. It is the opportunity for the interpreter to set ground rules, get a sense of what the encounter is about and the register to use. Doing a presession also lets the provider and patient know that you will be speaking in first person which will avoid any confusion and that you have control of the conversation so you can have the right away to stop when necessary to be able to interpret accurately. A presession should only be done while in the room with both parties not in private with a patient because the part of confidentially and everything being said can become conflicting. By that I mean that if you talk to the pt not in front of provider you run the risk of the pt telling you something in confidence but telling you not to tell the provider. Now you are stuck in the middle, so it is best to not speak with pt until you are with provider to avoid any impartiality.