Access 2 Interpreters Holds Interpreter Training Session at Columbus Public Health

Access 2 Interpreters held an Interpreter Training Session at Columbus Public Health (CPH) on Wednesday, November 29, 2017. The presentation was conducted by Yana Schottenstein, CEO and President of Access 2 Interpreters.

The training, “Working Effectively with Interpreters,” was designed to improve the working relationship between CPH staff members and interpreters in order to enhance the ability to provide meaningful services to Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients and their families.

The session focused on three core areas of the interpretation services profession. These included the interpreter’s role and boundaries, the Interpreter Code of Ethics in Healthcare, and techniques to help CPH staff members use an interpreter’s services more effectively.

The first segment examined the interpreter’s role during an interpretation session. This section reinforced the idea that interpreters are required to interpret the conversation between CPH staff members and LEP patients. This part of the presentation also clarified the interpreter’s boundaries before, during, and after the interpretation session.

The second part of the training focused on the Interpreter Code of Ethics in Healthcare. Interpreters must adhere to federal ethical principles while working in the field. They must interpret everything said during the appointment, maintain confidentiality, and maintain professionalism at all times.

The final portion of the training provided CPH staff members with techniques for working with interpreters during assignments. This section provided insight into particular behaviors and techniques used by interpreters during interpretation sessions. CPH staff members were given tips for assisting interpreters during an assignment.

“Every time we meet with users of our services during seminars such as this one, we always get very positive feedback. Medical staff appreciate the insight into the interpreter profession—especially when it comes to compliance with confidentiality and HIPAA,” remarked Schottenstein.

Access 2 Interpreters can provide similar training seminars to its clients upon request. Each event is specifically tailored to the particular needs of the hosting organization.

The Most Important Industries For Interpreters

As the world becomes increasingly more global and cultures and languages become intertwined, using interpreters becomes something of a necessity. Thanks to the Internet and international travel, the world has never seemed so small. While most people would be quick to name particular industries in which interpreters would be in high demand, there really is no clear response. Truth be told, there are many industries that are benefitting or could benefit from using interpreters.

First, choose a credible interpretation company
The most important thing to consider when looking an interpretation/translation company, choose one that can provide services in many languages, and will commit to providing you with the highest level of quality and accuracy. By selecting an experienced interpretation company, you are ensuring not only a successful interpretation/translation experience but a chance to heighten the presence of your organization.

Government
Government interpreters are increasingly important in today’s ever-changing world. Local government can benefit from interpreters by making sure non-English speaking or ASL using local citizens are able to utilize government services. National government benefits from interpreters when dealing with foreign governments or updating its multilingual citizens on current events or emergencies.

Healthcare/Medical Services
Interpreters and translators are consistently in high demand in the medical industry. It’s a fact of life that people get sick and need doctors, which could be a stressful experience if you are not an English speaker. A medical situation requires a clear and accurate translator, so as to convey the correct information to the patients.

Education
Having interpreters and translators on hand in schools is critical in ensuring that all students get a fair and equal education. Sitting through a lesson can be tough, but imagine doing so when you don’t speak the same language as your teacher or your class. Interpreters and translators are important assets of the education industry.

Business
As the world becomes more interconnected, it becomes more important that your business or company has an interpreter or translator on hand, in case you begin conducting business with an international branch. Interpreters and translators would be helpful during conference calls, or working with you to translate a document. Moreover, they could help your business secure international clients.

Literary
When people think of translators and interpreters, typically their mind goes to book translators. Book translations are incredibly important in helping to spread the ideas and beliefs of one culture to the rest of the world. In fact, many of the most beloved novels of our day have originated in a different language!

Legal
Ensuring that legal documents are translated correctly and understood is so important, as legal jargon is typically dense and difficult to understand, even in one’s native language. In addition to the complexity of the language is the fact that laws differ from country to country, which is necessary to know when traveling abroad. Related to this is the idea that, if someone breaks the law when abroad, they are entitled to a trial that they can understand.

Travel
Last but not least, the travel industry is extremely important for interpreters and translators. Not only can they assist with planning a trip abroad and understanding itineraries or booking reservations in a different language, but they can also help with interpreting or translating once you arrive.

Access 2 Interpreters Attends Seminar Nationwide Childrens Hospital

Interpreters and staff from Access 2 Interpreters attended a seminar hosted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital on Thursday evening, August 24, 2017. Among the Access attendees were CEO Yana Schottenstein, COO Christopher Stein, and over 160 Access interpreters.

The topics of the seminar were HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and interpretation assignments at the Child Advocacy Center. The HIPAA segment focused on protecting Personal Health Information (PHI), maintaining HIPAA compliance, and preventing violations and breaches. The section dedicated to the Child Advocacy Center provided interpreters and staff with valuable information regarding child abuse assignments. NCH offered advice and guidance on how to handle the sensitive interpretation sessions at the Child Advocacy Center.

“I was excited and proud to see our large group come together as one team united by one goal: to learn more about laws and situations that govern our profession and improve as individuals and as a team,” remarked Schottenstein. “The presenters were excellent, and the positive feedback I received after the event is a testament to the fact that the interpreters left the seminar empowered by additional knowledge.”

“I found the seminar very useful. It was important to have the information about assignments at the Child Advocacy Center reinforced for our interpreters. It is vital information,” added Access interpreter and trainer, Dr. Ali Al Safi.

“I want to thank the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Interpreter Services Department for their collaborative effort in working with our Access team and helping our interpreters continue growing as professionals,” Schottenstein concluded.


Endangered Languages

Language is one of the most important components of culture: members of a group need to be
able to understand each other, and the shared language is often a unifier of that group’s members.
Unfortunately, the irony of the globally connected world we live in, in which culture can now be
shared across the world in seconds, is a rapid extinction of the languages of many cultures. It is
estimated that a language goes extinct every two weeks, which nearly wipes out those cultures.
Here are some examples of endangered languages from across the globe.

Why languages go extinct

Several factors can cause a language to become endangered or extinct. Speakers might not be
passing the language down to the youth of that culture. Another source is speakers of the
language no longer viewing it as important to their sense of self, meaning they are less likely to
use it in everyday situations. Luckily, many cultures are making efforts to preserve their native
languages.

Sauk Fox-American Midwest

Sauk Fox is an Algonquian dialect that is currently down to less than 200 speakers. The decline
of this language goes back to colonial America, in which American settlement forced them
further west. There are remnants of the Sauk and Fox in the American Midwest and Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, all fluent speakers of Sauk Fox are above the age of 70, placing the language at a
high risk of becoming extinct.

To combat the potential loss of Sauk Fox forever, an apprenticeship program was created in
which the fluent speakers teach younger members of the tribe who teach other students.

Irish-Ireland

Irish is a Celtic language and was the inspiration of other Celtic languages such as Scottish and
Welsh as it spread to what is now Britain. The Irish had a rich literary history, and tablets have
been found with the Irish language translated into Latin from the 600s AD. This discovery makes
Irish the oldest written language north of the Alps.

The decline of the Irish language began in the 1500s after being conquered by England. The
conquest created the need to use English in affairs of state. Additionally, the Great Potato
Famine in the 1800s caused many speakers to emigrate. Today, Irish is rebounding now that it is
recognized as an official language of the Republic of Ireland.

Ainu-Japan

The Ainu are a Japanese minority from the northern island of Hokkaido. The Ainu language is
unrelated to Japanese, and its origins are still currently unknown. The language was stigmatized
by the Japanese, leading to the loss of many native speakers as well as an aging population. The
remaining fluent Ainu speakers are at least 80 years old. In the modern day, Ainu is taught in
several universities to preserve the language’s heritage.