Week 4 – Discussion Board 1

[Art Liebl]

In at least 250 words talk about what things inhibit good mental retention. Why is good mental retention key to becoming successful as an interpreter? Respond to two fellow students by Monday.

[Alejandra Gana]

The things that inhibit good mental retention are sleep deprivation, stress specially when is chronic.
having diabetes and cardiovascular disease also leads to memory loss.
having a poor diet also contributes to not having a good mental retention.
eating high saturated fat foods impair concentration and memory.

I think is really important to have good mental retention when you are a medical interpreter because it allows them to listen, understand, and reproduce information accurately and quickly.
interpreting often requires several ideas, sentences, or numbers in the mind while reformulating them into another language, sometimes in real time.
over time, good retention contributes to building a wide vocabulary and cultural knowledge.
memory is the foundation that supports accuracy.

[Judy Guarin]

Hello Alejandra, You are absolutely correct, Memory is the foundation that supports accuracy, very well said.

[Dayane Malone]

Hi Alejandra, Stress and lack of sleep is what I think affects the most our good mental retention.

[Brian Pacheco]

Hi Alejandra, I agree, chronic sleep will definitely affect mental retention.

[Brian Pacheco]

Some things that could inhibit good mental retention are poor diet including foods high in saturated fats. When we eat foods high in saturated fats including whole milk, butter and ice cream we increase of our risk of Dementia which then in turn would inhibit good mental retention, not being able to focus or remember information. Lack of proper sleep and not enough exercise can inhibit good mental retention as well. Physical exercise provides increased oxygen to the brain and then reduces risk for disorders such as diabetes and heart disease. Increased stress can inhibit good mental retention as well, chronic stress can destroy brain cells making it unable to retrieve old memories and form new ones.

I feel good mental retention is important to becoming a successful interpreter because you need to be able to remember what someone is saying in real time to be able to accurately interpret what people are saying. I feel if you build and work on better mental retention it helps you to maintain thoroughness and allows you to provide the most detail you can. Good mental retention is key with interpreting because you need to be able to remember and reproduce what people are saying in order to accurately interpret it. Without mental retention we would not be able to do our job as an interpreter. Mental retention also allows you to build on knowledge, widening our vocabularies and knowledge in different areas.

[Judy Guarin]

Hi Brian, I totally agree with you, In order to be great interpreters we must have good mental retention.

[Dayane Malone]

Hi Brian, I agree with you when you said” Without mental retention we would not be able to do our job as an interpreter”.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

Great explanation

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

I like how you explained this!

[Judy Guarin]

Good mental retention means being able to remember what we hear and repeat it correctly. For interpreters, this skill is super important because we have to listen, understand, and then say the same message in another language almost right away. There are a few things that can inhibit good mental health. One of the biggest one is stress. When we’re nervous or under pressure, our brain can freeze, and it’s easy to forget what was just said. Tiredness also affects memory, this is why getting enough sleep and rest it’s very important. Interpreting takes a lot of focus, and when we don’t get enough rest or sleep, it’s harder to keep information in our minds. Another issue is distractions, like background noise, people talking, or even our own thoughts. If we lose focus for just a second, we might miss an important detail. Most importantly good mental retention is extremely important for interpreters because our main job is to be accurate and complete. We can’t add or leave out information, so remembering what the speaker says is everything. To keep our memory strong, we can practice active listening, take breaks, rest well, and most importantly, eat a healthy balanced diet, full of vegetables, protein, nuts and dark chocolate. Keeping your brain active is also key for a good mental health. Staying calm during interpreting sessions is also very important, the more relaxed and prepared we are, the better our memory will work.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 1 day ago by Judy Guarin.

[Emily Arias-Perez]

I definitely agree!

[Brian Pacheco]

Great explanation!

[Emily Arias-Perez]

Things that can help inhibit good mental health retention are sleep, being socially active, laughter, eating healthy, exercising and having a high interest in what you’re interpreting. Sleep is critical to learning and memory. Researchers show that having meaningful relationships and a strong support system is vital for brain health. Laughter engages multiple regions in the brain unlike other emotions that are only limited to specific areas of the brain. People that are happy overall have a larger prefrontal cortex than people who are in a negative mood. Eating Healthy helps boost brain power specifically omega-3s.

Mental Retention is important to becoming a Medical Interpreter because remembering is key to the profession! Without being able to remember how can you interpret what was said ? Mental Retention can help you intake the Knowledge and store it for future encounters.

[Brian Pacheco]

I agree, remembering is definitely key to the profession.

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

I agree with everything you said about what makes good mental health retention!

[Dayane Malone]

There are many things that can make it hard for people to remember and retain information. One of the biggest in my opinion is stress. When someone is anxious or overwhelmed, the brain has a hard time focusing and storing new information. It’s like trying to pour water into a cup that’s already full. Lack of sleep also affects memory. When we don’t rest enough, our brains don’t get the time they need to organize and keep what we’ve learned.
Other things that hurt mental retention include poor nutrition, dehydration, and emotional exhaustion can also lower concentration and make it harder to remember details. Even skipping meals or not drinking enough water can affect how well we think.
Good mental retention is especially important for interpreters. Unlike translators who can take their time with written text, interpreters have to listen, remember, and speak almost at the same time. If they forget or mix up information, it can lead to confusion or serious misunderstandings especially in hospitals, courts, or other important settings. Having a strong memory helps interpreters keep the message accurate and clear. It allows them to work confidently, stay professional, and make sure everyone involved communicates and understands each other correctly.

[Shannelys Guzman]

I love the way you pointed out stress because that is very true!

Great metaphor “When someone is anxious or overwhelmed, the brain has a hard time focusing and storing new information. It’s like trying to pour water into a cup that’s already full.”

[Luanna Vieira Rosa]

There are a lot of factors that can complicate someone remembering information well. A couple ofreasons are stress and fatigue. When someone doesn’t get enough sleep or are feeling overwhelmed our brains don’t work at its best and it’s harder to focus or remember things. Not eating well can also affect memory negatively.

Having good memory and focus is super important for being successful as an interpreter. Interpreters have to listen carefully, remember what’s being said, and then say it correctly in another language—all in real time. That takes strong short-term memory to keep track of what was just said and good long-term memory to remember words, phrases, and cultural meanings. If an interpreter’s memory isn’t strong, they might forget parts of what was said or change the meaning by mistake. In jobs like medical or legal interpreting, that can be a big problem. So having good mental retention helps interpreters do their job accurately, quickly, and confidently, making sure people can truly understand each other.

[Shannelys Guzman]

Love the way you put that great job explaining.

[Shannelys Guzman]

Good mental retention is inhibited by many things. Studies show sleep as one of the key components. Lacking sleep can cause you to make mistakes and not accurately do your job interpreting to the best of your abilities. During a research it was discovered that sleep is when the memory consolidates. During the consolidation when in the deepest sleep REM, the body works together enhancing your memories activity. Not giving your body the proper rest has a negative impact on many crucial body functions. Another thing that affects mental retention is your health, how much you pour into your body. If you don’t exercise or eat healthy that also affects drastically as certain diseases cause your memory to decline.

It has been proven good mental retention is a key component to our success. Successful interpreters are alert and present. We can listen striving for one thing only, to be accurate when interpreting to provide correct information. In order to do that we must practice good mental retention. So we can make out what words mean in those moments we hear something new. So we can listen and retain it to then say it back.

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