BASICS

OF INTERPRETATION
LESSON 1

LANGUAGE INTERPRETING
Language interpreting is the facilitation of oral communication between two, or more, people
who speak different languages. It is the conversion of the meaning and intentions expressed in
one language (the source language) into another language (the target language). Interpreting is
not merely the translation of words; rather, it’s the facilitation of dialogue between parties using
different languages.

For example:

What would be an appropriate translation to these sentences in Spanish?

1. Without insurance, that treatment will cost you an arm and leg.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

2. How did you get that black eye?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

3. Unmanageable bleeding is a concerning sign.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

“The ultimate goal of interpreting is to convey a message originally expressed in a different language so that the interpreted message
has the potential for evoking the same cognitive, and, optimally, the same emotional response as does the original message.” (Cokely,
1988)

Source Language
The source language, as the name suggests, is the language in which an utterance is introduced
for its interpretation into another language.

Target Language
The target language is the language into which the source language needs to be interpreted. For
example: If I hear “I need to sit down for a minute” in English, and I need to interpret this into
Russian, English would be my source language and Russian my target language.

INTERPRETER
An interpreter is a professional individual who takes in simple or complex verbalizations from
the source language and thereupon chooses the most appropriate vocabulary in the target
language to faithfully render the message in a linguistically and culturally equivalent way.

It’s worth noting that being bilingual does not suffice for taking on the role of an interpreter. In
the present day, there’s a misconception that any person who speaks another language can serve
as an interpreter. However, in order to undertake the role an interpreter, one has to have a high
level of fluency in both languages and basic training.

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Ad hoc interpreter: In Latin, the phrase ad hoc means "for this." It generally signifies a solution
designed for a specific problem or task, made or done without previous thought or preparation.
An ad hoc interpreter is an individual who lacks the appropriate training but who steps in as an
impromptu interpreter to resolve a communication problem. They are utilized as language
assistants. These individuals can be clinical staff, waiting-room volunteers, friends or even
children.

What is the difference between an interpreter and a translator?

Well, now we know that an interpreter is an individual who does verbal conversions between
two or more languages. So, what is a translator? A translator is a person who converts written
material (books, pamphlets, brochures, etc.) from one language to another. A translator does not
perform any verbal conversion of the language.

The most common types of interpreters

• Medical interpreter/healthcare interpreter

• Court interpreter
• Conference interpreter
• Sign language interpreter *

Other types of interpreters

• Diplomatic
• Escort interpreter
• Business
• Community
• Law enforcement
• Educational

Throughout this course, we are going to use the terms medical interpreter and healthcare
interpreter interchangeably.

The three major components of a medical encounter are:

§ The Healthcare Provider (HCP)

§ The Patient or LEP (Limited English Proficient)
§ The Interpreter
Note: In a medical encounter, always be prepared to find more people in the room, such as clinical staff and family
members.

* Sign language interpreters facilitate communication between people who cannot hear or are hard of hearing.
Interpreters of this language can work in many environments, including all of the mentioned above.

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MEDICAL INTERPRETING
Medical interpreting is a profession that requires a special set of skills. Unlike many other types
of interpreting, medical interpreting calls for the interpreter to play roles and take on
responsibilities beyond language conversion.

A common misconception about medical interpreting is that interpreters are just information
conduits who need to translate fancy medical terms into another language. However, interpreters
in health care are expected to function in different capacities, such as acting as encounter
moderators, message clarifiers, cultural brokers and, arguably, patients’ advocates. These
additional responsibilities make medical interpreting a specialized profession that needs to be
undertaken with skill, and only by the trained and adept interpreter.

The responsibility of a medical interpreter does not lie exclusively in his or her linguistic skills;
medical interpreters are also responsible for ensuring that cultural barriers are not obstructing
meaningful communication. In addition, medical interpreters have the responsibility to manage
and monitor the efficient delivery of the interpretation. These additional tasks bring to light the
distinctive and complex role of an interpreter in a medical encounter.

So, if we were to explain what a medical interpreter does in a simple way, we could say that a
medical interpreter is a professional who facilitates communication between healthcare
providers and patients while ensuring that communication doesn’t break down due to cultural,
linguistic or systematic issues.

Interpreting Modalities
Interpreting services can delivery in different modalities. Interpreters employed by a hospital,
clinic or care facility to provide interpreting services to the patients on-site (at their premises)
are usually called in-house interpreters.

A freelance or independent interpreter works per assignment for interpreting agencies that
provide on-site medical interpreting services to hospitals, clinics, or workers’ compensation
cases.

An over the phone interpreter (OPI) usually works from home. In this setting, the interpreter is
connected to a three-way call with the HCP and LEP to provide interpreting services.

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) is a system where the interpreter uses the Internet and a
webcam to communicate with the LEP and HCP. Generally, a video interpreter works in a call
center and not from home.

Dual-role interpreters are those who have other duties besides interpreting alone. For example,
in some clinics or hospitals, nurses, administrative staff or technicians are called and sometimes
compensated for acting as interpreters.
Note: Unfortunately, many times dual-role interpreters are not appropriately trained to undertake the role of a professional
interpreter. Passing a basic language proficiency test is the only requirement.




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MODES OF INTERPRETING

SIGHT TRANSLATION

Sight translation is the impromptu oral translation of written material that is presented to the
interpreter in one language (source language) to be read out loud in the target language.

Medical interpreters are required to sight translate documents such as consent forms,
questionnaires, discharge instructions, registration forms, patient educational material, or any
other “short” written passage.

It is important to note that not all documents in a medical setting are suitable for sight
translation. The length and complexity of some documents may fatigue and overwhelm the
interpreter and therefore compromise the integrity of the message.

The limits of length and complexity for sight translation have not been clearly established yet;
however, some organizations, such the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCICH),
have drawn up guidelines and offered their suggestions. (Discussed further on)

Why is it called sight translation and not sight interpretation?

We are dealing with written material that has been carefully composed for reading and therefore
is ideal for translating (converting from written form in one language to written form in another).

When a translator takes written material, she has the time to sit down at a computer and
translate the material using dictionaries and other aids. The interpreter, however, has just a few
minutes to get familiar with the document and then render his oral translation. Sight translation
is to translate a written text (orally) on the spot.

Written language usually involves longer and more complex structures than oral language. That’s
why this mode of interpretation may be somewhat challenging and mentally tiring for some
interpreters.

For example:

Read the following sentence; analyze its grammatical structure and terminology and then
translate it out loud.

1. “Antacids containing magnesium may result in diarrhea, whereas those with calcium
cause constipation.”

2. “Bilateral activity of the upper extremities is strongly recommended to prevent mobility
impairment.”

3. “Regular blood cell counts may be needed during the course of this treatment”

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SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETING

Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is the uninterrupted rendition of the source language at almost
the same time of the speaker. It is important to emphasize the word “almost” because it would be
impossible for the interpreter to make a synchronous language conversion.

SI requires some of the same mechanisms of conversion as the other modes of interpretation
(listening, understating, restructuring and delivery, for example). Interpreting is not the
substitution of one word for another, but the transferring of meaning.

For an interpreter to process and reorganize the message into the target language, he needs to
allow himself time to perform this mental process before rendering an interpretation. This lag
time is called décalage (French for time gap or time lag).

In addition, the interpreter not only needs to have a high level of concentration when listening,
but he also needs to self-monitor his voice level, intonation, and tone. This may be challenging for
someone who is not used to listening and speaking at the same time.

Why do we have to know how to interpret in the simultaneous mode?

Some people mistakenly think that simultaneous interpretation is not necessary in the medical
field, and for that reason, we shouldn’t pay any attention to it, but that is not the case. We’ll see
how important it is to have and strengthen your simultaneous interpreting skills.

Often, when you walk into a medical encounter, you may find the patient in the company of a
family member or friend who speaks English. In the beginning, everything runs nicely and
smoothly; the HCP is interviewing the patient, and they both take turns and wait for you to
interpret. But then the doctor asks one little question that changes the dynamics of the
encounter: “So, how’s your appetite?” Before the patient answers that question, the family
member jumps in and answers the question in English to the HCP. Now the HCP turns his
attention to the family member and starts having an all-English side conversation with the
family member about the patient’s eating habits, hygiene, compliance, and much more. You are no
longer needed to interpret between the HCP and the patient, but you must interpret the side
conversation between the HCP and family member for the patient. At that moment, you need to
switch to the simultaneous mode (whisper interpreting). The patient is the only one in the room
who doesn’t understand what is being said, even though he is the one with most right to know.
Therefore, we must interpret the side conversation to the patient simultaneously.

There are many other situations in which we may need to use the simultaneous interpreting
mode, for example:

• Organ transplant educational sessions
• Diabetes education teachings
• Medication administration teachings
• Group therapies
• Medical history reports and updates
• Information given to the patient’s English-speaking caregiver(s)

Note: Whisper interpreting is also called chuchotage in French.
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CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING
Consecutive interpreting (CI) is the mode of interpretation where the interpreter waits for the
speaker to finish a segment of the speech in order to deliver the rendition. The length of the
segments varies, depending on the speaker and situation.

CI is the most common mode of interpretation in the healthcare field, especially if you are a
telephonic or video interpreter.

This mode of interpretation can be challenging for many new interpreters because it requires the
employment of several skills at the same time. Listening, restructuring, memorizing, note-taking
and delivering the rendition may be a difficult task. In addition, the rendition must have all
elements of an effective interpretation, such as enunciation, clarity, intonation, accuracy, and
completeness.

When listening to a spoken passage for consecutive interpreting, you must first understand the
main idea of the passage in all its detail before you start interpreting in your head. In other
words, don’t do a simultaneous interpretation while you are listening to the message and then
render the consecutive interpretation. Consecutive interpreting is all about understanding the
message first and then interpreting.

If you missed any information from the source-language speaker, you may ask the speaker to
repeat the segment. This is perfectly acceptable, provided the requests for repetitions are kept to
a bare minimum. This will help you maintain an adequate flow of communication without
constant interruptions.

The most difficult tasks in consecutive interpreting are accuracy and completeness.

Accuracy is the ability to render a high-quality interpretation correctly and precisely. The
interpretation is to be based on the true meaning of the speech, and not just the substitution of
words from one language to another. For example:

Mr. Rocha, how you doing? The nurse tells me you’re feeling a little under the weather. What’s
wrong?

Incorrect: “Sr. Rocha, ¿Cómo usted haciendo? La enfermera me dice que usted está sintiéndose un poquito
debajo del clima. ¿Qué está equivocado?”

Correct: “Sr. Rocha, ¿Cómo le va? La enfermera me dijo que se siente un poco enfermo. ¿Qué le pasa?”

Completeness is delivering an interpretation in its entirety with all parts and components
needed by the target recipient to fully understand the source message. Namely, the interpreter’s
rendition must be free of omissions or gaps.

The interpreter must deliver a complete and accurate rendition of the source language, and not
just what she remembers or what she chooses to interpret.

Note: Accuracy is the faithful reflection of the original message. More detailed instruction about these subjects will be
discuss in the next modules.

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