[Musharraf Bayramova]

The four roles of a medical interpreter:
Message conveyor/conduit. In relation to the message, the interpreter is like a water conduit in relation to water: it cariires the message without taking anything away or adding anything. A citation from the chapter: “A water conduit for example takes water from one location and transports it to another. A good conduit doesn’t leak, nor, permits foreign materials to contaminate the water.” Similarly, the interpreter’s relationship to the speed and volume of the message can be compared to a valve in relation to the stream of water. It regulates and controls it. The chapter’s citation of the CHIA: “[ … ] interpreters must manage the flow of communication between all the parties present. Interpreters need to intervene (verbally or nonverbally) when parties speak too fast or fail to allow the interpreter time to interpret. They also need to manage turn-taking, indicating to individuals speaking at the same time that they will be heard in sequential order or that a party must be allowed to finish speaking.”

Message clarifier. This role could be illustrated thru the metaphor of a smoke detector. The interpreter detects and alerts significant misunderstandings, distortions, and register, much like a smoke detector to significant changes in temperature.

Cultural broker. This role is similar to the previous one but here the interpreter detects and alerts not misunderstandings of words but cultural differences related to healthcare practices and traditions. I think, this role may apply in situations where a patient expects the provider to make decisions for them, as doctors may do in the patient’s home country. Meanwhile, the provider in the US may expect the patient to make decisions independently based on the options provided.

Patient advocate. When the interpreter has advocacy skills and notices discriminatory words or actions, they may “enter into the patient advocate role”.

[Musharraf Bayramova]

Pre-session is an approach to a triangular encounter that involves establishing basic rules of communication during the appointment and preparing for it in advance.

A three-party can be complicated by distrust, unintended remarks, long turns of speech, or the lack of direct communication between the provider and the patient. The subsection The Pre-session with the PATIENT and PROVIDER discusses how during a medical encounter patients may fear that the interpreter will disclose their health information to others withing the same language community. How the provider or the patient may accidentally say something aloud, and the interpreter is still required to interpret it. how the provider or the patient may speak for a long time or too quickly, forcing the interpreter to interrupt them. How they may also ask the interpreter the questions that should be addressed directly to one another. The likelihood of such situations appear to be high if when first meeting the patient and the provider the interpreter does not clearly explain that everything said will be interpreted, including muttering and accidently uttered words; that the communication will remain strictly confidential; that this hand gesture gives the interpreter the right to interpret before the speaker continues; and that the parties should speak directly to each other rather than to the interpreter about one another.

However, even if the pre-session protocol during introductions is followed, a medical appointment may still become disastrous if the interpreter had not prepared for it in advance. In other words, as the second paragraph of the chapter suggests, it may be unwise to enter a medical appointment without first taking the time to determine the type of appointment, the terminology likely to be used, the body part involved, and what should be explained to both the provider and the patient about the service. This process is called a pre-session with oneself, and in my view it helps the interpreter approach the encounter with an understanding of the situation, the necessary vocabulary, and a plan for carrying out the interpretation.

[Musharraf Bayramova]

I believe it’s important to remain composed facial expression, trust your voice will color the emotion right (trust that it will naturally convey appropriate emotion) when uttering accurate interpretation of the phrase. I believe attempting to imitate sadness through facial expressions can come across as theatrical. when I say trust your voice i mean there is no need to consciously construct how sadness should sound. we can allow the awareness of the emotion to be reflected in our voice without deliberate effort. then combining with an accurate rendering of the phrase-form should be most appropriate approach. How do you handle like moments?

[Musharraf Bayramova]

Interpreters and translators work with different modes of language. An interpreter deals with live spoken language, whereas a translator works with a fixed written text.

Spoken language requires the immediate recognition of linguistic structures by ear, the ability to rapidly analyze the meaning and to reproduce it accurately in another language. This process relies on automated knowledge of the context, accumulated terminological base, automated syntactic sets trained before entering the assignment and which activate during the execution of the interpretation.

Written translation in contrast involves visual engagement with the text, close reading, and careful analysis including of punctuation. It leaves time for contextual research, use of reference materials, it is not constrained by strict time, speed, and tone pressure. Unlike interpreter, translator can refine meaning and terminology throughout the working process. Interpreter ideally enters the assignment with refined structures and terminological base.

They may also be distracted by different triggers. A translator is unlikely to be distracted by elements such as the speaker’s intonation, the emotional undertone in speaking, or background noise that cannot be avoided, for example when several people are present nearly.

In addition, they employ different procedures. A translator is not required to manage the flow of the communication, whereas an interpreter controls the flow. When needed, the interpreter may interrupt the speaker, request a pause, or remind him to observe turn-taking.

It’s important for me to clearly understand the distinctions in order to develop and refine the interpreting protocol. This includes having prepared phrasing for requesting clarification and for managing the flow of communication. In addition, I should strive to accept only those assignments which I am linguistically prepared to execute in the moment.

[Musharraf Bayramova]

Hi Leidy, nice to meet you!

[Musharraf Bayramova]

Hi Isnelda, welcome to the program!

[Musharraf Bayramova]

Hello,
I am Musharraf. I speak Russian and English at a working level and Polish and Azerbaijani on a conversational level. I live in Lake Oswego, OR. I work as a bilingual member assistant at a local labor union and use my language skills to help Russian and English-speaking employees access their benefits and required training and answer questions about their union. I identify as an interpreter and want to build a professional interpreter career.

I decided to become an interpreter because this profession brings together everything I perceive as my calling. I experience a quite sense of pride when meaning becomes clear in the air, when structures emerge and become visible, and form becomes accessible. I feel a deep satisfaction when in the course of communication, the parties sense each other and do not sense me. An interpreter develops the skills of neutrality and the ability to convey accurate meaning and complete form, the skills that make exactly these outcomes possible.

Also, this profession provides extensive and multifaceted experience interacting with people across a wide range of settings. Interpreters find themselves in diverse professional and social environments, engaging with people of different communities. As a result, as an interpreter I would develop deep exposure to human experience and nuanced understanding of social and cultural realities.

In our state there is a steady demand for qualified interpreters in the legal and medical fields. Holding relevant state certifications can nearly double the hourly rate of pay. This makes it possible to earn fair compensation for work that genuinely interests me.

[Author]

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