[Maria Valencia]

The pituitary gland is a pea sized organ at the base of the brain. It is vital because it produces crucial hormones that directly regulate bodily functions and controls the glands that produce hormone in the entire endocrine system. The pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus which acts as the master control center for the nervous and endocrine systems. Together they maintain the body’s internal balance. The pituitary is divided into two primary lobes Because it directs widespread functions including growth, metabolism, reproduction, and stress responses. When it produces too many or too few hormones it can result in various medical conditions like gigantism, dwarfism, or hypothyroidism. In addition the pituitary gland releases hormones that help the body respond to stress and maintain a healthy balance of water by controlling how much the kidneys retain. Even though it is very small in actual size the pituitary gland is very big in importance and the vast amount of things it controls in the body. If the pituitary gland is not functioning correctly it can affect growth, reproduction, metabolism, and many other body processes. This tiny gland plays a major role in helping the body stay healthy and function normally every day.

[Maria Valencia]

Although the male and female reproductive systems have the same overall purpose of helping humans reproduce they are built differently and each has its own specific job. The male reproductive system focuses on producing and transporting sperm. The testicles are responsible for making sperm and producing testosterone. Once sperm are created they mature in the epididymis before traveling through the vas deferens. During ejaculation, sperm mix with fluids from several glands to form semen which carries the sperm out of the body through the penis.
The female reproductive system has a wider range of responsibilities. The ovaries produce eggs and release hormones like estrogen and progesterone which control the menstrual cycle. About once a month an egg is released into a fallopian tube. If it meets a sperm and becomes fertilized it moves to the uterus where it can implant and continue developing into a baby. If fertilization does not happen then the body sheds the lining of the uterus during a menstrual period and the cycle begins again.One of the biggest differences between the two systems is that the male reproductive system mainly produces and delivers sperm, while the female reproductive system also supports fertilization, pregnancy, and childbirth. Even though they have different structures and functions, both systems are equally important. They rely on hormones, healthy organs, and teamwork between the two sexes to make reproduction possible.

[Maria Valencia]

The skin is made up of three main layers; the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. Each layer has its own job and together they help keep the body healthy and functioning properly. The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin and is the body’s first line of defense against bacteria, viruses, and any unwanted objects in the body. The epidermis is constantly making new skin cells while old, dead cells naturally shed from the surface. It also contains melanin which is the pigment that gives skin its color and helps protect it from sun damage.
The dermis is the middle layer and it is much thicker than the epidermis. It contains blood vessels, nerves, and sweat glands. The dermis provides strength and flexibility to the skin and also helps regulate body temperature by producing sweat. There are also many nerve endings in this layer allow us to feel sensations such as touch, pressure, heat, cold, and pain.
The hypodermis is the third and deepest layer of the skin which is made mostly of fat and tissue. In addition it connects the skin to the muscles and other tissues underneath, allowing the skin to move without tearing. Overall each layer of the skin has a unique function but they all work together to protect our body otherwise our bodies would be much more vulnerable to external dangers.

[Maria Valencia]

Alveoli are small balloon-like air sacs that are located at the ends of the bronchioles in your lungs. They are where your body extracts oxygen from the air you breathe in and expels carbon dioxide waste. Their primary function is gas exchange. Each of the alveoli are wrapped in a dense mesh of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. The walls of both the alveoli and capillaries are very thin and only allow inhaled oxygen to rapidly diffuse into the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide moves from the blood into the alveoli to be exhaled.
Additionally alveoli contain specialized cells that secrete surfactant which is a fluid that keeps the sacs elastic and prevents them from collapsing every time you exhale. They also house immune cells called alveolar macrophages that engulf and clear out inhaled dust and pathogens.
Without this highly efficient structure your blood could not be properly oxygenate which would lead to severe breathing difficulties and systemic fatigue.

[Maria Valencia]

Arteries and we is are two different types of blood vessels that work together to circulate blood through the body. Arteries carry blood away from the heart usually transporting oxygen rich blood to the body’s tissues. Veins on the other hand return blood back to the heart and usually carry oxygen poor blood. An exception is the pulmonary circulation where pulmonary arteries carry oxygen poor blood to the lungs and pulmonary veins return oxygen rich blood to the heart. Arteries usually have thicker walls than veins because blood leaves the heart under high pressure. Veins on the other hand have thinner walls and contain valves that prevent blood from flowing backwards.

The human heart has four chambers that work together to pump blood throughout the body the right atrium, the right ventricle, the left atrium, and the left ventricle. The right atrium receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and sends it to the right ventricle. The right ventricle then pumps this blood to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. The left atrium receives the oxygen rich blood returning from the lungs and passes it to the left ventricle. The left ventricle, which has the thickest walls of all the chambers, pumps oxygen rich blood through the aorta to the rest of the body. Each chamber plays a an extremely important role in keeping proper circulation and together they all ensure the cardiovascular system functions efficiently to support overall health.

[Maria Valencia]

The main components of a nerve cell, also known as a Neuron are: dendrites, soma, nucleus, axon, myelin sheath, nodes of ranvier, and axon terminals. All of these components hold their importance to ensure the nerve cell functions as it should. Dendrites are the branch-like extensions of the cell and they are important because they carry incoming information toward the cell body which lets the neuron communicate with other cells. The cell body also known as the soma is where the nucleus and most of the cell’s organelles are located. The soma is important because it is where proteins are made, nutrients are processed, and incoming signals are integrated to generate a response. The Nucleus is inside the cell body and contains the cell’s DNA. The nucleus is important because it is the the control center of the cell and it directs the cell’s activities. The Axon is a long and thin projection that carries electrical impulses away from the soma. It’s important because it transmits nerve impulses to other neurons, muscles, or glands. The myelin sheath is a fatty insulation layer that surrounds many axons. It is important because it increases the speed of nerve impulse transmission and protects the axon. The Nodes of Ranvier are the small gaps between sections of the myelin sheath, these gaps aré important because the allow electrical impulses to jump from node to node. Lastly axon terminals or synaptic endings are the branched ends of the axon and these are important because they release neurotransmitters to pass signals to the next neuron, muscle, or gland.

[Maria Valencia]

The video discussed many different techniques for good mental retention. The video explained to not focus only on the words but to pay close attention to the speaker by creating mental images and connecting things that we may know already. The videos also discussed using physical stimulation to learn things easier such as tapping or grouping things together like when you memorize a phone number. In the videos he also discussed the importance of exercise like walking or running to boost the flow of oxygen to the brain. Lastly not so much a technique but a way of life is having a healthy and balanced diet.

[Maria Valencia]

Many things can inhibit good mental retention such as not getting the right amount to sleep. When you are sleep to deprived your brain can’t operate at its full potential and it compromises problem solving ability a critical thinking skills. Stress is another major inhibitor of retention because the brain releases many chemicals that are detrimental to the body in large quantities and when your body in under the effect this chemicals you are in fight or flight response and thus not able to concentrate. Lastly maintaining an unhealthy diet can increase the risk of impaired cognitive function.

Good mental retention is key to becoming successful as an interpreter because as an interpreter you need to be on your toes and be ready to react immediately to the things that are being said in the moment. In appointments as an interpreter you may need to remember longer parts of the conversation to recite back to the patient or the provider and having good retention is key for accuracy. As we know accuracy is extremely important as an interpreter as not having accuracy can lead to serious consequences.

In conclusion having good mental retention is a very key part of being an interpreter and being successful in this field relies on this.

[Maria Valencia]

As a medical interpreter it is helpful to know and understand the suffixes and prefixes used in medical terminology because it is a way to better discern what information you are being told. This is helpful because as a medical interpreter you need to be quick and on your toes so knowing what prefixes and suffixes may better help you react to a word that you do not already know in medical terminology. Medical terminology is it own language and fully understanding all of the intricacies can be difficult but knowing what prefixes, suffixes, and roots words may give you a better idea of what is being said. For example if you know that the prefix sub means that something is under and the root cutis means skin, then if you hear the word subcutaneous you could decipher that it is something under the skin even if you had never heard the actual word previously. This helps you with you better judgement and makes you be a more fast thinking interpreter.

[Maria Valencia]

I believe present day legislation is good however there is always room for improvement and nothing is perfect. I do see executive order 13166 being applied here in Rhode Island but it is primarily used by larger facilities like a hospital or a community health centers. I have not seen this type of service provided by smaller practices however, I have seen patients who receive interpreter services from their insurance providers. The access to interpreter services in your language is imperative and can be considered a human right because it can certainly affect a person’s health and wellbeing. In person interpretation is best but with today’s technology access to telephone and video conferencing make it more accessible for someone to receive these services. I do believe that all medical providers should have to implement interpreter services even if they are not receiving federal funding. There can be legislation that provides smaller medical practices with incentives or tax breaks if they provide interpreter services. We all know that services can be costly but incentivizing providers to provide this support could be helpful for everyone.

[Maria Valencia]

There are four chief roles in medical interpreting. The first one is to be a message conveyor which means that you transport the verbal and nonverbal messages from provider to patient and vice versa. This is like when the interpreter is able to convert a the meaning of the message without adding or subtracting anything or changing the meaning.
Another role is to be the message clarifier, which means that interpreters must be alert for possible words or concepts that might end up being misunderstood. When it seems that any of the parties including the interpreter may be confused it is important to interrupt the communication process and alert the parties that there are signs of confusion.
The third role is of cultural clarifier. This means that when concepts and words sometimes exist in one language no not the other it is the interpreter’s role to support both parties understand each other’s explanations on health and illness.
Lastly the role of patient advocate, this is to say that although interpreters cannot be responsible of everything that everyone does but if they happen to notice something go wrong you should bring it to the tension of someone who can correct it.

[Maria Valencia]

The benefits of of doing a pre-session with yourself are vast. This type of pre-session is actually the most important because as the interpreter you make sure that all the prep work is done before entering the appointment. This prep work is where you look at what kind of appointment it will be to best ensure that you know what kind of vocabulary you will be using as well as what parts of the body may be talked about. You also want to consider what you are going to talk to the provider and the patient before helping them with their appointment. The pre session with the patient and provider is also beneficial because you can introduce yourself and clarify your role to help the patient and provider know how to best use your services. This helps patients and providers better understand your role if they haven’t worked with a professional interpreter before. By doing a pre- session you may avoid the patient potentially you asking questions during the appointment or asking you to give medical advice by explaining the role well in a pre-session so the patient knows that they can talk directly to the provider. I believe some sort of pre-session is always necessary even if it just to ask the patient and the provider how much experience they have working with professional interpreters this way everyone is on the Sam e page about what can and can’t be done.

[Maria Valencia]

People seem to commonly mistake a translator for an interpreter but there is a deference between the two. The main difference between a Translator and an interpreter is that translator works with written text while an interpreter deals with direct spoken language in real time. A translator receives a document and will translate it to the target language and can use support from a dictionary or a glossary as it is not done in real time. An interpreter is using spoken language in real time so the interpreter must rely on memory, active listening, and quick reflexes. An interpreter focuses on the overall meaning and tone where a translator focuses on matching the style of the original text.

The biggest challenge of an interpreter is that it is done in real time so the interpreter must be a good listener, pay close attention, and respond accurately with what is being stated. It is something that is as quick as the conversation itself. The interpreter must be able to act in seconds. I think the biggest challenge of translator may be that the the translator must convey the original tone and style of the original text, there is more time to complete the task but this increases the level of precision of the words use to match the style of the original document, the must ensure punctuation is accurate, and the words are spelled correctly.

It is important to understand that a translator is not an interpreter because they are different from one another. It is important to know who does what so that when you need the service you would know where to go or who to ask. Just because someone knows how to speak two languages does not mean that they know proper grammar in both languages and vice versa where just because someone knows proper grammar in one language does not mean that they can pronounce words accurately in another language. Both things are very important and each have their own necessary skills.

[Maria Valencia]

Hi name is Maria Camila Valencia and I go by Camila. I currently live in Pawtucket Rhode Island but I am originally from Medellin Colombia. When I first came to this country it was difficult to learn English and it did not help that I used to surround myself with only Spanish speaking People. Once I entered the work force, I had no other option than to start learning English. I was very shy at first but the more I used the language the easier it became. Once I started working in the medical field I saw how many people need help understanding what medical providers are telling them in Spanish. I feel I am very compassionate to others and often times seeing some patients coming into the office and needing help with basic interpretation I would help as much as I can although I did not have extensive knowledge.

I have always enjoyed helping people and working in the medical field so I thought becoming a certified medical interpreter is a good career path for me. This way I can continue to help people in my community with the actual knowledge after completing the course. Acquiring the knowledge is very important not only in communication because not all words directly translate but also to not make any mistakes when translating, because as we learned in the chapter this can potentially lead to serious medical mistakes. I am looking forward to gaining the knowledge necessary to do a good job and help in those in need.

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