Healthcare Interpreting

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• identify barriers that may limit access to healthcare services for clients with limited English-language proficiency.
• examine the healthcare interpreter's role, responsibilities, and required skills related to both language access and cultural brokering.
• discuss professionalism, standards and ethics, and the complexities of the working environment for healthcare interpreters.
• explain the coursework outline, prerequisites, student responsibilities, costs, and requirements of the healthcare interpreter program.
• survey personal skills, interests, and aptitudes in relation to the activities and demands of the healthcare interpreter program and profession.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• compare the different ways interpreter services are delivered in healthcare settings.
• differentiate various ways that providers and interpreters can work together to enhance communication with patients.
• explain the interpreter's role in ensuring the patient's rights to confidentiality and informed consent.
• demonstrate beginning skills in modes of interpretation including consecutive and sight translation.
• examine how differences in cultural beliefs, cultural practices, or culturally defined roles may arise in the triadic relationship.
• employ appropriate healthcare terminology in English and language of service within clinical scenarios and situations.
• recall the elements of the interpreter pre-session. Understand the importance of each.
• compose, write and recite from memory a pre-session using your own words, and including all elements of the pre-session.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• demonstrate increasing skills in modes of interpretation including consecutive and sight translation.
• demonstrate increasing skills in applying interpreting protocols to support participant's communicative autonomy within the interpreting encounter.
• apply skills for managing the flow of the interpreting encounter.
• correlate action and response strategies to resolve least three difficult problem types that can arise in interpretation.
• identify effective ways that differences in communication style may be handled in the triadic relationship.
• generate an expanding vocabulary of appropriate health care terminology in English and language of service for use within clinical scenarios and situations.
• examine in growing depth how differences in cultural beliefs, cultural practices, or culturally defined roles may arise in the triadic relationship.
• evaluate each encounter and recognize which mode of interpreting is most appropriate.
• demonstrate beginning skills in simultaneous interpretation and summarization.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• exhibit progressive skills in the technical aspects of interpretation.
• demonstrate the ability to manage the flow of the interpreting encounter.
• employ the ethical decision-making method.
• examine health systems, practices, beliefs, and key health issues of specific ethnic communities.
• incorporate culturally sensitive strategies and approaches in working with diverse populations.
• employ knowledge and skills of effective communication with special emphasis on cross-cultural communication.
• build an increasingly complex vocabulary of healthcare-related concepts and terminology specific to the different healthcare service areas.
• exhibit progressive skills in the technical aspects of interpretation.
• demonstrate an understanding of established national translation guidelines for interpreters.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• incorporate advancing skills in the technical aspects of interpretation.
• demonstrate proficiency in skills for managing the flow of the interpreting encounter.
• integrate culturally sensitive strategies and approaches in working with diverse populations.
• build an increasingly complex vocabulary of healthcare-related concepts and terminology specific to the different healthcare service areas.
• compile resources available to support professional development and further knowledge and skills to support continuing education past program completion.
• practice self-care management strategies to avoid burnout with reference to the range of psychological, social, and emotional issues that may arise for interpreters in healthcare settings.
• examine career opportunities in healthcare interpreting including community, public health, and acute care settings, and assess personal career goals.
• create an effective professional resume and cover letter.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• analyze the interpreter’s role and scope of practice relative to other healthcare professionals within a treating/service team.
• demonstrate competence in elements of workplace culture and professionalism including work attitude, time management, reporting and documentation, accountability, and maintaining personal and professional boundaries.
• demonstrate basic public speaking abilities in healthcare settings.
• incorporate into practice the profession’s codified ethical behaviors related to confidentiality and privacy, completeness and accuracy, professional integrity and professional distance, professional development and cultural competence, and role of advocacy when patient wellbeing or dignity is at risk.
• manage all facets of the interpreter role in the fieldwork setting including cross-cultural communication, conflict management, and the technical aspects of interpretation while conducting patient-provider encounters and pre- and post- encounters.
• evaluate and address specific areas of improvement needed for competent interpreting in healthcare settings through application of reflective practice based on professional standards.
• identify types of community interpreting that commonly intersect with healthcare interpreting
• form a foundational vocabulary of terms related to other types of community interpreting such as interpreting in workers' compensation, education, criminal justice, in-home health services, and in the judicial system in California.