[Faisal Alsheikh]

The pre-session with yourself, with the provider, and with the patient before beginning the interpretation is an important tool for a medical interpreter’s job. The interpreter introduced himself to clarify his role as a professional interpreter. When the interpreter already knows many things about the meeting—questions, subjects of discussion, patient disease and his register, treatment plan, etc.—that excellent preparation will help him create a successful interpretation task and smooth performance. After talking to the patient during the pre-session, we can get an idea of his education level, his cultural background, his speech style, his mode, and his mental and psychological status. The pre-session can also create a kinship between the patient and interpreter, which leads to a comfortable relationship.
All of that helps to choose a suitable talking method and understandable words or concepts to make communication easy and effective. The pre-session can help avoid surprise problems and misunderstandings. I think it is also necessary to do a pre-session with providers that helps the medical interpreter convey the message more clearly and successfully. Unfortunately, in some emergency cases, there is no time to arrange a pre-session for both patient and provider, which is also considered a challenge for medical interpreters.

[Faisal Alsheikh]

Hi Jennifer! Very good post

[Faisal Alsheikh]

The medical interpreter must maintain neutrality in sensitive or emotional situations. At the same time, he needs to convey not only the spoken message but also the feelings, emotions, and body gestures behind the words. It is a very difficult task and a huge challenge. Whatever it is, we must accept the patient’s response with the phrase “I am fine” in the most positive and optimistic way, which may be a real feeling and may not be objective for the doctor and his assessment of the patient’s condition.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by Faisal Alsheikh.

[Faisal Alsheikh]

Hi Jennifer! Welcome and good studies to you!

[Faisal Alsheikh]

Hi Danielle! Welcome and good studies to you!

[Faisal Alsheikh]

Interpreters and translators both facilitate communication across language barriers, but there are differences between them. Interpreters work with spoken language in real-time. Their work is immediate in live settings, such as conferences and meetings. Translators work with written texts. They have a lot of time to complete their translations, often using resources like dictionaries. Interpreters need strong listening and speaking skills, excellent short-term memory, and the ability to quickly grasp and convey meaning between languages. They must be able to think under the pressure of live communication.
Translators require strong reading and writing skills and attention to detail. Interpreters face the challenge of processing information quickly and accurately, often without the ability to pause or correct mistakes. Medical interpreters must manage the stress of live performance, and they need to convey the emotions of the patient behind the words. Understanding that interpreters are not translators is important because it ensures the right professional is chosen for the task.

[Faisal Alsheikh]

My name is Faisal Alsheikh. I am 58 years old. I was born in the Syrian Arabic Republic. I graduated from medical university in 1991, completed my residence in urology specialization in 1998, and moved to Massachusetts in 2023. My native language is Arabic. I do speak Russian and English. I decided to become a medical interpreter because I have worked in the medical field, and I know that an interpreter job is very important for patients and medical providers, and that helps them to communicate with each other, understand patient complaints, collect the history of diseases, Physical examination, and explain to the patient about required investigations, medical procedures, treatment plans, surgical interventions, prophylactics, etc. I like this profession, and I have some medical interpretation experience that has assisted me with helping patients when I worked in hospitals. So, that is why I am here with you. I hope this course will increase my knowledge, improve my experience with medical interpretation, and help me get an opportunity to work as a medical interpreter in the United States.

[Author]

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