Week 4 – Discussion Board 2

[Art Liebl]

From the video, what are the techniques to good mental retention? Comment on the presentation you watched at Vimeo.com and what you thought about the ideas presented. Respond to two fellow students by Monday.

[Flaviane Wronski]

The video Mental Retention Workshop was very dynamic and informative. It explained several techniques that medical interpreters can use to improve their memory and performance, including visualization and association, note taking, idea mapping, vocabulary techniques, and the importance of diet and exercise.

I found the visualization and association techniques especially interesting. The video explained how the brain remembers images better than words alone. Creating mental images can make the information more vivid, concrete and easy to remember. Association is another great technique. For example, if an interpreter needs to remember a list of symptoms, such as sweating, anxiety, fatigue and exhaustion, he can use the first letter of each word and associate it with SAFE. The video also gave the example of adenine as “add a knee” imagining a person with three knees. I thought that was genius! Another technique was the backwards drill, which helps interpreter recall information by working from the last thing they heard.

Note taking is also important, especially for numbers, names, medicines, dosage, dates and times. However, writing everything down is not practical, interpreters can create symbols, abbreviations and images to record the most important information.

The idea mapping creates a map to have a full picture of the patient’s case. The reason why patient is seeking help shall be in the center of the map, and the relevant information is added as branches, creating a clear picture of the patient’s situation. The vocabulary techniques were also helpful, especially using pictures and backward reading to remember medical terminology.

Finally, the video discussed how diet and exercise can support the brain health and memory. Eating a balanced healthy diet with brain healthy food, along with staying physically active can help improve cognitive function.

Overall, I really enjoyed the video because it presented practical techniques that medical interpreters can use in their daily work in a fun and engaging way.

[Author]

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