| Abstracts
& Bios
Achieving
Symbiosis in the Triadic Encounter
of Medical Interpreting
This presentation will examine the roles of the three parties in
medical interpreting and how a symbiotic relationship between them
can only further improve the communication process, the cultural
experience and, ultimately, the outcome of the clinical encounter
for the Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) patient. As opposed to
the adversarial nature of relationships within a legal setting,
requiring interpreters' utmost neutrality and invisibility, the
discussion will focus on what the provider needs to understand about
working with interpreters and LEP patients, and what the interpreter
needs to understand about the provider's constraints to ensure a
mutually beneficial encounter for all parties concerned. The presentation
will include role-play practices, as well as exercises in taking
on a role that is not that of the interpreter, to acquire a better
understanding of the other parties' constraints, stress factors,
cultural and linguistic background. Attendees should leave this
workshop with a deeper understanding of all the parties with whom
they work in a healthcare setting.
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Stress
Management for Medical Interpreters
Given some of the traumatic experiences that interpreters may endure
when working in mental health settings, this presentation will address
the issue of interpreter stress and how to deal with it. Participants
will be introduced to the different resources that interpreters
have at their disposal to help them with work-related stress. Some
specific resources and means of stress reduction will be reviewed,
such as Language Line Services own Peer Support Program/Stress Debriefing
Training. There will also be the opportunity to discuss different
mental health situations in small groups, to come to a consensus
about how best to handle challenges that are identified.
Janet
Erickson-Johnson,
Language Line Services' certification manager, oversees the company's
certification program. She has also played a lead role in the development
and delivery of basic and advanced medical interpreter training
in the U.S. and abroad. With a master's in translation and interpretation
from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a California
State certification, she worked as a freelance interpreter for more
than 10 years, completed an interpreting internship at Stanford
University Hospital, and taught a medical interpreting course at
MIIS. She has also presented at numerous medical interpreter and
interpreter/translator conferences since 2000.
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From
Medical to Mental Health: Adjusting Interpreting Techniques to the
Mental Health Setting
This workshop helps trained medical interpreters gain an understanding
of mental health interactions and learn to adjust their technique
to fit the needs of those interactions. Topics covered include an
analysis of the difference between communication in medical and
mental health appointments, an introduction into what mental health
practitioners are looking and listening for, development of specialized
vocabulary, and adjustments of interpreting techniques to fit mental
health encounters.
Cynthia
E. Roat
is a consultant and trainer on issues related to language access
in healthcare. Certified by the Washington State Department of Social
and Health Services for medical and social service interpreting,
she has been a medical interpreter since 1992. She is the principal
author of the Bridging the Gap medical interpreter training.
She helped found the Society of Medical Interpreters in Seattle,
and is chair of the advisory committee of the National Council on
Interpreting in Health Care.
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