[Saika Pierre]

I did not catch the mistake on #9, thank you for catching that!

[Saika Pierre]

Hi Shivangi,

Your explanations are very thorough, these are all errors we, as interpreters, should strive to avoid at all times.

[Saika Pierre]

1) The interpreter spoke in the third person rather than using the first person protocol, using statements like “She didn’t sleep well last night” and “her stomach…”
2) The interpreter restated the food name in Spanish rather than interpreting it directly
3) The interpreter did not interpret the term CT scan in the target language.
4) The patient specifically said 2 or 3 stomach problems, but the interpreter stated she’s had two episodes of stomach problems. This error is serious because omitting seemingly minute details like this can potentially lead to a misdiagnosis.
5) The interpreter added to what the patient said by saying “stomach problems and ulcers” in the statement. The patient mentioned ulcers. This might seem unimportant but interpreters must not add to or omit any information that is being communicated. However, the interpreter did a good job of giving each party undivided attention.
6) The interpreter did not interpret everything when the doctor was interrupted by the phone call, as stated in the CEFF protocol. She did, however, do a good job of clarifying information for her and the patient’s understanding.
7) Interpreter engaged in conversation with the patient while the doctor was away. As an interpreter, we must maintain professionalism at all times and avoid conversation topics with parties at all times.
8)The patient asks the interpreter not to share a symptom she is experiencing with the doctor and the interpreter agrees to withhold this information. This is not only extremely harmful to the patient, but it can also affect the interpreter’s reputation as everything must be interpreted.
9)The patient seemed confused after the interpreter conveyed the information, but I did not quite catch the mistake.
10) The interpreter did a good job of noticing the patient’s nonverbal language and sharing the source of confusion for further clarification. However, in this scene, the interpreter did not manage the flow of communication from the provider. After his lengthy explanation, it seems that she was having trouble recalling what he said, causing her to shorten some of the explanations and evidently omit some information. She did not maintain the everything protocol here.
11) Despite the provider’s eagerness to convey information in Spanish, the interpreter should’ve kindly stopped the doctor and explained that he should speak in English and she could convey the information in Spanish.

In the later scenes, the interpreter did a great job by conducting the pre-session with the patient and describing all of the CEFF protocols clearly. When the patient offered the interpreter a gift as a token of her appreciation, the interpreter kindly and assertively declined, maintaining her professionalism. In the following scene, when asked to withhold information from the provider, the interpreter politely explained why she could not do so. The interpreter conducted a pre-session with the doctor, clearly explaining how she would control the flow of conversation, and she executed this well throughout the session. In the end, the interpreter served as a patient advocate by assisting the patient in scheduling her follow-up appointment.

[Saika Pierre]

Hi Carlos,

You touched on some interesting points about cancer, which can be a very daunting session, and it can be very emotional as well. Sometimes, words do not have a direct translation in our target language, but finding other tools to interpret accurately for both provider and patient is key.

[Saika Pierre]

Hi Carolina,

I agree with your sentiment about the challenging task of interpreting under high-pressure situations. I am so glad the lessons we have completed thus far have given us tools and knowledge that’ll help us carry out our duties effectively and accurately.

[Saika Pierre]

I am particularly interested in two areas of medicine: public health, epidemiology, and precision medicine, which is also related to my interest in the study of human social genomics. Public health aims to protect and enhance the health of people and their communities. Although public health is not considered a part of medicine, it is a social science, and epidemiology falls under the public health umbrella. Epidemiology, a branch of medicine, investigates how diseases spread and why some people are susceptible to them while others are not. Epidemiologists study the patterns and causes of diseases to understand how to prevent and control them.

I am interested in this field of medicine because I believe in the importance of prevention and health promotion for the whole patient and community. Addressing the root of the problem is critical, rather than just diagnosing and treating the symptoms. I am also interested in precision medicine, which involves tailoring medical treatments to each person’s characteristics, such as their genes, lifestyle, and environment. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, precision medicine considers factors that are unique to each person to help doctors make more personalized and effective treatment decisions.

In discussing epidemiology as an interpreter, I would be dealing with more data and statistics, while precision medicine would involve using medical terminology for genetics and diseases. Genetics can be challenging to interpret while maintaining accuracy because some terms do not have direct translations in the target language, and there are a lot of complexities when explaining gene expression. I would have to do research to grasp the topic to relay it to the patient effectively and accurately. It is important that I master prefixes, suffixes, and root words when interpreting anything related to diseases.

[Saika Pierre]

Hi Carlos, I think the apps can help us take the necessary precautions before we go to our medical provider for any concerns/advice.

[Saika Pierre]

Thank you for mentioning the ways we can heal our alveoli! Deep breathing exercises is something most of us can do to benefit our alveoli.

[Saika Pierre]

The alveoli are tiny air sacs located at the end of the bronchioles in the lungs. They help oxygen from the air we breathe get into our bloodstream and remove carbon dioxide. This exchange of gases is vital for keeping us alive and helping our cells work properly.

When we breathe in, air goes into our lungs and travels through the bronchial tubes until it reaches the alveoli. These sacs have thin walls made of just one layer of epithelial cells, making it easy for oxygen to pass into the capillaries nearby. At the same time, carbon dioxide from the blood moves into the alveoli and gets breathed out when we exhale. This process happens because of differences in how much oxygen and carbon dioxide there are between the air and the blood. Alveoli are lined by a fluid called surfactant that maintains the shape of each air sac and helps keep it open so oxygen and CO2 can pass through.

The alveoli are essential because they are where most of the gas exchange happens in our lungs. Oxygen is crucial for our cells to make energy, and without enough of it, our tissues and organs can’t function properly. Plus, getting rid of carbon dioxide is important for keeping the right balance of acids and bases in our bodies.

[Saika Pierre]

You included some great examples, Carlos!

[Saika Pierre]

Great description Steve! The skin plays an essential part in our overall well-being, despite us overlooking it as a significant organ.

[Saika Pierre]

The skin is the largest organ in the body and has three main layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, all with different functions and vital for keeping us healthy.

The top layer, the epidermis, shields us from things like germs, sun rays, and chemicals. It’s made up of many cell layers, with the outermost layer made of dead cells called keratinocytes. New cells are always made in the deeper layers and replace the old ones. The epidermis also has melanocytes, which make melanin to protect our skin from the sun and give it color. There are also Langerhans cells here, part of our immune system, which help fight off germs.

Below the epidermis is the dermis, made of connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and things like hair follicles and sweat glands. It gives our skin its shape and flexibility. It has receptors that help us feel touch, pressure, pain, and temperature changes. Blood vessels in the dermis help control body temperature by opening up or tightening up to let heat in or out. It also has immune cells to fight infections and help heal wounds.

The deepest layer is the subcutaneous tissue, or hypodermis, made of fat and connective tissue. This layer stores fat as energy. It insulates the body from heat and cold and provides protective padding to the bones and muscles underneath. It also has blood vessels and nerves that connect to the dermis and epidermis, helping all the skin layers work together.

[Saika Pierre]

The pituitary gland hormones are crucial in maintaining several bodily functions, and without this small gland, we’d have to take several medications. It’s incredible how our bodies supply most of what we need to function.

[Saika Pierre]

It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact such a small gland has so much control over our functions! The name “master gland” is very fitting.

[Saika Pierre]

The pituitary gland is a small gland, like a tiny pea, found at the bottom of the brain, just below the hypothalamus. Despite its small size, it plays a crucial role in regulating numerous bodily functions through the secretion of various hormones. The pituitary gland is divided into two main parts: the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) and the posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis), each with distinct functions.

The anterior pituitary produces and releases several hormones that control the activity of other endocrine glands throughout the body. These hormones include growth hormone (GH), which stimulates growth and development, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which regulates thyroid function and metabolism, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol in response to stress, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which regulate reproductive functions, and prolactin, which stimulates milk production in breastfeeding women.

The posterior pituitary stores and releases hormones produced by the hypothalamus, like oxytocin, which helps with childbirth and breastfeeding, and antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which helps our body keep the right amount of water. The pituitary gland is really important because of its role as a central regulator of the endocrine system, controlling things like growth, metabolism, how we react to stress, reproduction, and keeping the right amount of water in our body. Dysfunction of the pituitary gland can cause problems like not growing enough, thyroid issues, infertility, or having too much or too little water in our body.

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