Here at Affordable Languages we’ve worked with numerous interpreters. Over time we’ve identified the core skills that make a great interpreter. Here they are: Punctuality: This one is pretty straightforward, so I don’t really need to get into too many details. A good interpreter will show early, at the right place, ready to begin interpreting […]
I recently came across an article regarding the use of interpreters in the medical field and its impact on the patients’ well being. Sometimes when resources are not available or when medical providers are not aware of the services provided by their institutions, there is a misconception that anyone who is bilingual can render a […]
Are You Bilingual? Use your skills to help people communicate! One in five people residing in the United States is bilingual. That’s 80 million people! But did you know that almost 9% of the population only has Limited English Proficiency? 9% may seem like a small number, but in reality 9% of America is over […]
Skype recently announced the first working approximation of Douglas Adams’s famous Babel fish: The Babel fish is small, yellow, leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the universe. It feeds on brain wave energy, absorbing all unconscious frequencies and then excreting telepathically a matrix formed from the conscious frequencies and nerve signals picked up from the speech centres of […]
On March 17th, 2014, twenty-four medical interpreters graduated from the Bridging the Gap Program. There were seven languages represented in the training: Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Nepali, French, and Japanese. Bridging the Gap is a well-recognized medical interpreter education program with a presence in 31 states, the District of Columbia and Qatar. Why is it […]
What would you do if an individual walked into your place of work and did not speak English? Would you know if this person is legally entitled to an interpreter? Better yet, would you provide the individual an interpreter, or would you turn them away because you were not able to communicate with them? Many […]
There are a myriad of questions you could ask to determine if a medical interpreter is capable of doing a good job. During the patient encounter, of course, you can’t audit their performance because you don’t know the language—that’s why you need them in the first place! So here are some straightforward questions you can […]
Coming into the language industry and not speaking a foreign language, I did not realize the importance of interpreters. More importantly, I did not know about the seriousness of documenting interpreting services in order to comply with the law. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination based on race, national […]
In many professions, effective communication is essential for a successful provider-consumer interaction. Particularly, healthcare providers rely on verbal and nonverbal communication as the primary tool for obtaining patients’ health history. Language and cultural barriers can lead to miscommunication, which can further lead to under- or over-diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Over the past few decades, the […]
Medical interpreter training is a never-ending process for high-quality interpreters, whose job is to help non-English speakers communicate with doctors and nurses. The medical field is constantly changing, and medical interpreters must stay current in order to keep their skills relevant. Here’s a look at three reasons why it’s important to contract with an interpreting […]