Introduction
New interpreters are eager to not just do a good job interpreting but are also concerned with proper professional behavior. There are lots of sources of information to guide interpreters in their conduct, roles and ethics, but are interpreter ethics followed in practice? Also, is it possible or advisable to follow the currently prescribed guidelines or should current codes of professional conduct and standards be change to meet actual interpreter practice?
It may be difficult to pinpoint any experts advocating for a change in professional expectations for interpreters; however, there are a few experts that through observation, interviews and data gathering, are shedding a light on how interpreters conduct themselves, and their
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In her book, Medical interpreting and cross-cultural communication, Claudia Angelelli, uses data gathered from over 300 medical encounters in addition to interviews with interpreters to examine the role of the interpreter in bilingual encounters. The roles of the interpreter, according to the author and the research, may vary from being a “language switching operator” which means only the meaning of the message is conveyed or they could help construct the meaning of that message based on social and cultural factors.
It is worth noting that most existing codes of conduct, ethics or standards of practice prescribe that the role of an interpreter should be one of “interpreter-as-conduit” role. In this role, the interpreter acts as a means for what is said by one party to reach the other. This is the basic or default role of the interpreter. The interpreter speaks exactly what has been said in the other language. This is contrary to Angelelli’s findings where the interpreter role is much more involved and extends beyond simply interpreting what was
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In her book, Bilingual health communication: working with interpreters in cross-cultural care, the author, examines interpreter-mediated medical encounters with data obtained from extensive observations in a healthcare setting. The author highlights the interactive and coordinated nature of interpreter-mediated interactions. The book includes interpreters’ perspectives as well as the needs and perspectives of providers from a variety of clinical specialties. Just like Angelleli’s research, through Hsie’s work, it is evident that current standards are not followed, but this is because, the standards may not be realistic in real practice because there is no one-size-fits all that can properly address the conduct of interpreters in
...ulture is changing, Hmong are not all the same, importance of family, privacy issues, mental health issues, and small talk is important (Barrett et al., 1998, 181-182) . Overall, Barrett and others concluded that in order to improve interaction between patient and doctor all they have to do is follow these easy steps. First, is to be kind and have a positive attitude towards the patient and interpreter. Second, learn about each other’s cultures prior to meeting, to better understand each other. Third, better explain diagnosis and treatment options to patients. Fourth, improve translation providers need to get better interpreters who could concisely explain the consultation. Fifth, involve the family to make more thorough decisions. Sixth, respect patient’s decisions and there are still other alternatives to improve interaction (Barrett et al., 1998, 182-183).
business, people. » Blog Archive » Columbian Exchange." Professional Translation Services | Interpreters | Intercultural Communication & Training. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/colombia/Columbian-Exchange/5062 (accessed April 3, 2012).
Nearly all Haitian immigrants entering the U.S. are poorly educated, illiterate, and speak only Creole, which is seldom seen in written form. Creole is a “pidgin” language, meaning it is a simplified form of a base language with parts of other languages added. These types of languages were frequently used by sailors, pirates, and other trade people to accommodate the span of communication needs they faced. Haitian Creole is thought to have been derived by combining various native African dialects with the French language of their owners. Very few Haitians (10%) can actually speak French, and one’s ability to do so is seen as an indicator of social class. Because of Haitian views that Creole is the language used by the poor and uneducated, many will claim to be able to speak French and become insulted if it is suggested that they speak Creole. This can pose a problem for the healthcare worker trying to find a way to communicate. Often the only interpreters available to a family are their children who have learned English in schools here. This can create conflict within the family therefore a facility provided interpreter usually produces a better outcome. Written materials are often of no use to the Haitian immigrant.
"For the translator, who stands astride two cultures, possesses two different sensibilities, and assumes a double identity" —Husain Haddawy
The increase and changing demography in the United State today, with the disparities in the health status of people from different cultural backgrounds has been a challenge for health care professionals to consider cultural diversity as a priority. It is impossible for nurses and other healthcare professionals to learn and understand theses diversity in culture, but using other approaches like an interpreter is very helpful for both nurses and patients. In this paper of a culturally appropriate care planning, I will be discussing on the Hispanic American culture because, I had come across a lot of them in my career as a nurse. The Hispanic are very diverse in terms of communication and communities and include countries like Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, South and Central America, and some of them speak and write English very well, some speaks but can’t write while some can’t communicate in English at all but Spanish.
The goal of this lesson is to explore how we can improve communication to eliminate language barriers between healthcare providers and patients in our organization and to establish culturally and linguistically appropriate goals, that provide safe, equal, and quality care to all our clients regardless of race, ethnic, or socioeconomic status. At the end of this lesson we should be
Goode, T. D., Dunne, M. C., & Bronheim, S. M. (2006). The evidence base for cultural and linguisitc competence in healthcare. The Commonweatlh Fund , 1-46.
Lag time, is the time accumulated when the source message starts and the target message is relayed in the target language, and has challenged me as an interpreter. During practicum, where students apply our skills as interpreters-in-training I was forced to address the challenges I face with lag time. I was curious about the reasons that this was affecting my work. Therefore, I have chosen to focus the correlation between message accuracy and the errors that occur depending on the amount of lag time. For novice interpreters leaving the comforts of the controlled interpreting settings staged in the classroom can be scary. I feel that as we begin to venture out into the world outside of the classroom, maintaining an appropriate amount of lag time while interpreting is challenging, but one that can be overcome.
The top priority of the medical interpreters is removing language barrier between the medical practitioners and the patients and helping the patients to treat properly. Indeed, impartiality can be challenged in medical setting. However, some articles are pointed out that the interpreter who is related to the patient is not always harmful to the patients and the medical practitioners. Therefore, when the medical interpreters take an assignment, they should consider what the best is for the patients and the medical practitioners.
Pashley, H.(2012). Overcoming barriers when caring for patients with limited english proficiency. Association of Operating Room Nurses.AORN Journal, 96(3), C10-C11. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2092(12)00833-2
So, when expressing from, in the normal case, English to ASL (American Sign Language), a lot takes place. One must remember, English and ASL are two separate languages that have their own linguistic features: grammar, vocabulary, syntax, etc. Therefore, when interpreting, one must produce the original message into sign language while keeping the original meaning of the message intact. Any change in the meaning of the original message will cause an invalid interpretation, which then brings forth an ethics issue. The issue here is that a wrong interpretation causes ineffective communication between the hearing and deaf client/s, which candidly would be an interpreter’s fault in any situation. Interpreters are cautious to avoid this type of ethics dilemma at all costs. To add, it’s important that, when expressing in sign language, an interpreter considers his or her client’s linguistic level. A client’s linguistic level can be determined by noticing patterns in how the deaf or hard-of-hearing client uses sign language and how much they understand the signed message from an interpreter. For instance, interpreters working with first-grade children should use ASL vocabulary and grammar appropriate for the children’s’ grade level. Interpreters would not use the complex terms and sentence structure of a collegiate level adult in a first-grade classroom. Clearly, it’s evident that an interpreter must keep the message intact as well as match the level of his or her client while exercising the third step of the interpreting
Bentancourt et al. (2005) allows asserts that there are three distinctive reasons why cultural competency is so very important for the American healthcare system. American is composed of a very diverse population, which mean healthcare providers will continual be exposed to treating individuals from various backgrounds and from various cultures; their beliefs regarding their health or healthcare may range widely. When patients have a deficiency in the English language, proper healthcare delivery becomes increasingly more difficult as they will present symptoms in the syntax of their culture and their first language. Also, research shows the communication between the patient and their provider directly correlates to their satisfaction as well as their responsiveness or willingness to follow the health provider medical instructions; this ultimately affects the patient’s health outcome (Bentancourt et al., 2005). It’s fair to say that a successful health outcome is also contingent upon the interaction of the health provider and patient. Reports generated by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) – “Crossing the Quality Chasm and Unequal Treatment, confirms that cultural competence that focuses on the care of patient through
The Importance of the Brief for a Translator under the Framework of the Skopos Theory
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela. Since the 1960’s learning a second language has decreased by 30 percent in today’s society. People who wish to learn an additional language often do so to communicate with people who reside in different countries. With an increase in today’s globalization, it is forcing companies throughout the world to break the language barrier. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous citizens find it unnecessary to learn another language, as a translation is at the tip of their fingers. The methods of learning a foreign language can differentiate between people. Nevertheless it has been
Ethics is a system of moral principles and a branch of philosophy which defines what is acceptable for both individuals and society. It is a philosophy that covers a whole range of things that have an importance in everyday situations. Ethics are vital in everyones lives, it includes human values, and how to have a good life, our rights and responsibilities, moral decisions what is right and wrong, good and bad. Moral principles affect how people make decisions and lead their lives (BBC, 2013). There are many different beliefs about were ethics come from. These consist of; God and Religion, human conscience, the example of good human beings and a huge desire for the best for people in each unique situation, and political power (BBC, 2013).