Breaking Silence: What Interpreters Need to Know About Victim Services Interpreting

When interpreting for victims of trauma, the greatest gift you can give to the survivor is letting his or her voice be heard.

First, the good news. This past July marked the release of an innovative, in-depth training program to prepare interpreters to work with survivors of violent crime, with a strong focus on domestic violence and sexual assault. A set of training materials—Breaking Silence: Interpreting for Victim Services—that includes a manual, workbook, and glossary, has also just been published on the subject.¹ Together, these free resources show you how to perform victim services interpreting with a “trauma-informed” perspective.

The Breaking Silence program was developed through a partnership between the District of Columbia’s Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants and Ayuda, a nonprofit agency serving immigrants and refugees in the DC metro area. (You can download the Breaking Silence training manual, workbook, and glossary for free at: http://ayuda.com/wp/get-help/language-services/resources.)

An Emerging Specialization: Victim Services Interpreting

Victim services interpreting is part of the larger field of trauma-informed interpreting. Anyone who performs legal or community (including medical) interpreting can benefit by learning about this area because almost any interview in these fields can entail exposure to trauma—often without warning.

When a survivor cries, goes silent, or shares horrific details about a crime, it can create difficulties for the interpreter. The temptation to comfort the victim and overstep professional boundaries is huge. However, such “helpful” behaviors from the interpreter can damage or delay the survivor’s recovery. The information contained here shows interpreters how to be successful in this field while supporting survivor autonomy and avoiding re-traumatization of the crime victim.

Challenges of Victim Services Interpreting

You arrive at the hospital in the middle of the night to interpret for a 16-year-old rape victim. The assignment lasts five hours.

In that time, you end up interpreting for a police officer, two detectives, a sexual assault nurse examiner, a doctor, a rape survivor advocate, a medical assistant, and others. The victim is asked to describe her rape several times, in chilling detail. She weeps and shrieks. You start to feel nauseated and light-headed. You can’t get the images of the brutal assault out of your mind. At one point as the survivor tells her story you think you might throw up, but you’re afraid to interrupt her. What do you do?

Welcome to victim services interpreting. It’s tough. It can be painful. Yet for many interpreters, it provides some of the most meaningful and fulfilling work they’ll ever do. Since victim services interpreting is a new specialization, interpreters need training to perform it well. The following highlights many of the lessons to be learned from the Breaking Silence program, including the specific challenges facing interpreters who work with victims of crime and trauma survivors.

What Are Victim Services?

The provision of “victim services” began in the 1960s.² They are defined within U.S. law as services (public or private):

… with a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
—42 USCS § 13925³

In most cities and counties across the U.S., there is a victim assistance network where government, health care, legal, law enforcement, and nonprofit services collaborate to support crime victims in a complex interplay of services with their own professional cultures.

What Are Trauma-Informed Services?

A relatively new field called trauma-informed services encompasses an array of government and private programs that put the victim front and center stage. Trauma-informed services are concerned with the survivor’s healing, recovery, and access to justice. According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), trauma-informed programs address trauma in depth and integrate that knowledge into their policies, procedures, practices, and settings.⁴

Trauma-informed providers receive specialized training to help survivors feel respected, safe, and empowered. In trauma-informed services, we stop asking “What is wrong with this person?” and begin asking “What has happened to this person?”⁵

Overview of Victim Services Interpreting

From the time victim services became available in the 1960s until today, almost no one thought about interpreters or trained them in victim services interpreting. By 2013, the DC Office of Victim Services (OVS)—which is now the DC Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants—and its Victim Assistance Network (VAN) recognized this as a problem. VAN providers who request interpreters most often appear to work in the areas of domestic violence cases, sexual assault, and child abuse. Yet interpreters can also be needed for:

• Survivors of torture and war trauma
• Trauma therapy
• Police officers
• Homicide survivors (family members and loved ones of a homicide victim)
• Fire and rescue
• Victim compensation services

The District of Columbia lacked interpreters trained to provide this kind of service. As a result, OVS funded a program in 2014 that established the nation’s first Emergency and Victim Services Bank, a unique interpreter service administered by Ayuda, a nonprofit agency providing legal, social, and language services. However, Ayuda could find no training manual or curriculum anywhere in the country to train victim services interpreters.

History of the Breaking Silence Program

Ayuda commissioned my agency, Cross-Cultural Communications (CCC), to create a four-day program for victim services interpreting.

First, a needs assessment and a literature review were conducted. Ayuda set up a focus group and 20 in-depth interviews with service providers, including therapists, lawyers, social workers, advocates, a forensic nurse, a deputy fire chief, a hotline counselor, law enforcement, a disaster response behavioral therapist, and a grief counselor for homicide survivors.

I then recruited three other national specialists to create a curriculum and the training materials with input from VAN and OVS. The four authors of these training materials were national trainers with curriculum development expertise. An American Sign Language interpreter trainer and trauma-informed therapist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing was engaged to review and revise the training materials.

The intent was to make this four-day program freely accessible across the country. The four-day program, entitled Breaking Silence: Interpreting for Victim Services, was piloted three times between 2014 and 2016.

Lessons Learned from Breaking Silence

The needs assessment for the creation of this program highlighted a simple fact: almost every community and legal interpreter confronts trauma in their work. Some of that trauma is extreme and affects interpreters in profound ways. As a result, interpreters are eager, even hungry, for specialized training about interpreting for victims of trauma.

Another lesson learned is that interpreters need guidance to manage their emotions. For example, imagine that you interpret for a domestic violence victim who, against the advice of her advocate, is about to return to the partner who almost killed her. You might want to shout, “Don’t go back!” However, you can’t do that.

Providers interviewed for the Breaking Silence program reported that many interpreters lost control and interjected comments, or told providers such things as, “Is that all you can do?” After hearing traumatic stories, some interpreters broke down and cried. Some couldn’t interpret the grisly details, or softened or edited them. One interpreter spent more than 30 minutes lecturing a victim about domestic violence. Others have advised victims to leave—or stay with—their abusers.

Trauma-Informed Interpreting: Stakes and Benefits

Interpreters for victim services need to understand:

• The impact of crime on victims
• What trauma is and its impact
• Vicarious trauma (discussed below)
• Domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse
• How basic interpreter skills (such as mode switching, note-taking, sight translation, and simultaneous interpreting) are used in this field
• Where community (including medical) interpreting crosses the line into legal interpreting

In addition, the interpreter needs to be keenly alert to the potential impact of his or her unconscious bias. For example, providers noted that some interpreters made facial expressions conveying dismay or disgust when interpreting for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender victims.

Finally, interpreters need to be emotionally prepared for whatever faces them. Some victims giggle, fall silent, or seem calm. Every situation is unpredictable.

Preparing to Interpret for Survivors of Trauma

Here are some examples of how to prepare for tough assignments.

• Inform yourself as much as possible beforehand.
• Have boundary rituals (e.g., put on a special bracelet or scarf for assignments that means something to you and offers mental reassurance).
• Prepare to interpret body parts and terms for violence.
• Practice interpreting coarse and obscene language in a mirror (to be sure you don’t display discomfort).
• Establish a “distress” signal with the provider (who can call for a break).
• Plan for visualization of peaceful imagery.
• Rehearse deep breathing.
• Prepare for possible interpreter distress.

Above all, make a conscious decision to display warmth and compassion. According to clinicians, survivors have keen feelers—they sense if you care. Make a conscious decision to care. However, suppress the desire to say kind things. Don’t be the interpreter who touches the victim, hands out tissues, gives legal advice, or says, “It’s okay, you’re safe, speak up!” “You need to share your story with your therapist/lawyer.” “Don’t cry, dear, everything will be all right.”

Finally, try to avoid eye contact while you interpret. Let the survivor build a relationship with the provider—not you—because that relationship is critical for the survivor’s journey to recovery and justice. Remember, your job is to interpret. It’s the greatest gift you can give the survivor: his or her voice.

Vicarious Trauma

Here’s a little quiz. What three things are taken away from a survivor of major trauma? (You’ll find the answer at the end of this article.) In fact, what is trauma? SAMHSA provides this definition:

Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.⁶

Although we know that many survivors experience trauma, most people don’t realize how often interpreters experience vicarious trauma. Vicarious trauma (VT) means experiencing or internalizing someone else’s trauma. VT builds up over time through exposure to hearing traumatic stories. It’s a dirty secret that many interpreters are affected by VT, yet few are trained to manage it.⁷

Interpreters with VT can experience symptoms of trauma, so they should be especially careful to protect themselves. Be careful if you start to notice:

• Intrusive thoughts
• Anxiety or depression
• Insomnia
• Fear for your safety or your loved ones

If you have experienced any of the above, download the free training manual, workbook, and glossary from the Ayuda website mentioned at the beginning of this article and try to get specialized training.

How to Prevent or Reduce VT

Here are just a few examples of how you can reduce the impact of VT.

Before the Session:
Objects

• Bring or wear a special object (e.g., a stone or necklace). Touch it during the encounter for comfort.
• Put an elastic band on your wrist. When a survivor speaks of trauma, discreetly snap the elastic.

Visualization

• Practice creating imagery in your mind of a “safe place”—a peaceful mountain, beach, or meadow, a beloved person’s face, or even music. During the encounter, distract yourself from traumatic content by visualizing your “safe place.”

Rituals

• Engage in a boundary ritual before and after a tough encounter. It could be a phrase, a prayer, a mantra, a song, or a suite of movements.

You should also practice regular relaxation exercises. Do them before and after tough assignments. Many relaxation exercises are available online. Do a search, try some, and find which ones work for you.

During the Session: Here are techniques that can soothe you:

• Ground yourself: focus on the “here and now” (e.g., the ticking of a clock, air swirling on your cheeks, your feet on the floor).
• Breathe deeply from the diaphragm.
• Take a break.
• Try self-calming strategies:
  • Switch briefly from first to third person (many interpreters do this instinctively).
  • Focus on note-taking.
  • Observe yourself interpreting: monitor your performance.

After the Session: If possible, debrief with the provider. Use any of the “before” practices that help you. Also:

• Have a written self-care plan in place and consult it.
• Seek out social supports like family, friends, and colleagues.
• Utter a prayer or a comforting phrase.
• Seek out those who share your faith.
• Engage in a social activity.
• Exercise.
• Journal (but protect confidentiality).
• Share your feelings with someone safe.
• For intense sessions, perhaps avoid being alone afterwards.

Training Is Key

The preceding was a short journey into the new specialization of victim services interpreting. As mentioned previously, the training materials available from Ayuda can be downloaded for free (see Note 1). They will provide you with in-depth information to increase your knowledge, enhance your performance, and offer a new degree of self-confidence when you interpret for crime victims.

Good luck. Enjoy the journey!

Marjory Bancroft directs Cross-Cultural Communications, a national training agency for community and medical interpreting, with more than 220 licensed trainers in 34 states, Washington, DC, Guam, and six other countries. She has an MA in French linguistics from Quebec and advanced language certificates from universities in Spain, Germany, and Jordan. She has lived in eight countries and studied seven languages. Her career spans interpreting, translation, and teaching. She has authored numerous publications, including The Community Interpreter: An International Textbook. She serves on international committees and was the world project leader for an international interpreting standard.
 Contact: mbancroft@cultureandlanguage.net.

This article was originally published in the November/December 2016 of The ATA Chronicle. Read it here.

Old and new economies are increasingly entwined and the boundaries between them continuously blurred. Businesses planning to go global or cater to varied clientele often face problems with language barriers, making business translation vital.

From crafting messages that appeal to their clients in different regions to striking deals with partners speaking a foreign language, business translation is needed on a daily basis.

Business translation helps when handling foreign customer calls and answering their queries and concerns. Equipping businesses with the leaders and employees who have the appropriate skills to communicate across borders efficiently is a good idea.

But it’s not always feasible to get people with the right language skills onboard. That’s where business translation experts and interpreters can help.

Language Problems & Business Difficulties

1. Language Barrier in Business Communication

Misinterpretations and misunderstandings are common where language barriers exist. In business communication and business translation, they can have serious implications – from not getting the intended message across to understanding it all wrong, or thinking it to be mean something when the intention was to mean something completely different.

Language barriers are common when people who are interacting don’t know the language well in which they are communicating, don’t have access to business translation, or don’t have adequate understanding of the accents and dialects even when they speak a common language.

For instance, there are several Chinese dialects that are commonly spoken, like Mandarin and Cantonese, and two speakers – each knowing one of these dialects, will have difficulty in talking when they have to communicate in either Mandarin or Cantonese without business translation.

So, unless the people involved have a thorough understanding of the language, putting forward business propositions, knowing the viewpoints of the involved parties, negotiations and arriving at business decisions could all become an uphill task, if not completely impossible without accurate business translation.

2. Language Barrier in the Workforce

When employees have difficulty understanding the language in which you conduct most of your business tasks, they may fail to understand issues or concerns you want to be handled. They can miss the level of urgency of an allotted task, or simply nod their heads when they actually don’t understand what’s being communicated!

All these situations may lead to severe misunderstandings which can interfere with the work and eventually affect the bottom-line adversely. This can be avoided with the right business translation.

Though you can use some electronic translators that will help with emails and websites, they won’t facilitate real-time communication. In addition, the accuracy of such tools is often dubious and many of them translate in such a way that the original language patterns and meanings often get lost.

3. Language Barriers in International Business

Businesses with global operations and influence need a multilingual workforce than can communicate efficiently in several languages. They also need accurate business translation.

Since language is socially constructed, it’s embedded in the local culture. Unless one is a master of the language, understanding the embedded meanings and interpreting the words or the cultural meanings linked to them won’t be possible. For global businesses, language barriers may:

• Adversely affect the entire interchange
• Create problems in customer relations due to communication gaps and/or miscommunication/misinterpretation, and may even end a relationship with a customer
• Trigger a failed conversation with a key business partner, which could be a deal-breaker
• Cause miscommunication with a supplier that could have severe strategic or financial implications

4. HQ & Subsidiary Relationship

Language barriers can have serious implications on the relationship of multinational companies and their subsidiary operations. Usually, it involves two broad aspects – the communication cycle and the management cycle. Here are some ways language barrier can cause problems with respect to both these aspects:

Communication

• Intra-organizational knowledge transfer within various geographically scattered units
• Knowledge sharing between the HQ and different departments, groups, or divisions of the subsidiary
• Decoding centralized messages being sent from HQ (especially where such messages are sent in the language of one culture but are decoded in the context of a different language without business translation)

Management

• Personnel and/or organization selection
• Strategic decision‐making
• Control and autonomy procedures
• Global integration strategies

5. Knowledge Sharing & Management

Having a common corporate language (which is English in most cases) in a multi-linguistic environment often helps in easy transmission of knowledge and experiences.

But when the individuals involved (who have come from different cultural backgrounds and have different native languages) aren’t fluent in the language used, or often nod their heads or simply say “yes” (just to avoid embarrassment) business translation is needed.

When they don’t understand the message conveyed fully, knowledge sharing and management can hit a roadblock. From not understanding the intended message to misunderstandings (the worst scenario is where a completely different meaning of the message is understood, rather than what was actually intended), the flow and extent of knowledge sharing and transfer can be adversely affected in a multi-linguistic environment.

Overcoming the Difficulties & Problems

1. Narrow Your Target Market

Instead of targeting each and every market all around the world, you should focus on only those regions where the customers use your products most frequently and spend a sizable amount of money. This way, you will have adequate time and resources to spend on:

• Understanding the local culture and its nuances
• Learning the local language
• Training your employees (especially those who aren’t local and have been brought from other regions)
• Planning your marketing campaigns in the local language to make them effective
• Keeping business translation costs down

2. Respect the Language – Use Business Translation

Knowing the principal languages spoken in your target market will help you learn the phrases and start your marketing campaigns using the local language. This will help you grab your target customers and potential local business partners’ attention fast.

In addition, this will reflect positively on your business and earn you the admiration and respect of the locals, since you have invested time and effort to learn and understand the customs and language of that specific region and on accurate business translation and localization.

3. Translate Documents

Translating all official documents in the native language of your employees will help them understand the message and instructions clearly without any ambiguity.

You can use several free online tools or websites to translate your documents. However, it pays to be cautious since the business translation may not always be in the exact same dialect that your employees use.

In addition, the words your written business translation has may not always match up with the meaning that you intend to get across through your work documents.

4. Specialized Translators

Specialized business translators have sound knowledge of their respective fields (such as economics, finance, marketing, scientific research etc) in addition to that of the target market and current events. By hiring these business translation professionals, you can:

• Get your documents translated into the desired language of every targeted demographic in a personalized way
• Get the cultural and local references right without offending anyone with the wrong choice of words or phrases
• Create content for marketing that is free of any linguistic, grammatical or colloquial errors, that will help you create an instant connection with your target market

5. Hire an Interpreter

Hiring an interpreter is a must when your business is planning to expand on a global scale, has a diverse clientele across countries, or targets to reach people who don’t have English as their native language. Here are some benefits of hiring an experienced interpreter:

• Excellent quality when communicating difficult concepts or specialized/technical language (like legal aspects, medical diagnosis, etc.)
• Ensuring your business translation and translated documents are culturally correct by picking up the relevant local or cultural references or influences, if any
• Managing your brand assets with a consistent tone and terminology in communication, without which the reputation of your business may get hit and you may even end up losing some potential business partners and opportunities

6. Language Classes

You or your employees don’t necessarily need to be fluent in another language, especially not with access to business translation.

Yet, you have to know the fundamentals of a new language. Language classes are perhaps the best way of doing it. Getting your employees enrolled in a language class will help them:

• Know the basic greetings, warnings, as well as work phrases in the local language
• Communicate well with co-workers and customers using the predominant language that your target market uses
• Coexist and succeed by working closely with other team members
• Understand your target market better

7. Go for Visuals

When written or oral communication is tough to get your message across, you can use visuals, which would be a lot more effective than audios or even one-to-one interactions marred with language barriers.

Since the majority of humans are naturally disposed to visual learning, using images, diagrams, videos, animations, cue cards, signs and other visual aids to convey your instructions, messages, or assignments would be an effective way to overcome the language barrier.

Conclusion

Businesses planning to expand globally or aiming to step foot into markets beyond their region of origin can do so speedily and effectively when they have adequate resources to support each new language they are targeting and when they plan for business translation.

Since they need to get a huge volume of content translated in their target market’s native language – from business mission and vision to documents related to HR policies, new employee orientation, training, marketing etc., they need accurate business translation to handle the task with precision and consistency.

Though many tend to use free online tools, documents thus translated often miss the essence of words in their translated version or end up meaning quite the opposite than what was intended.

It’s important to understand that business translation isn’t just about words. Rather, it’s related to what the words are about. That’s exactly what professional translators and interpreters are adept in dealing with.

So, when you want to expand your business speedily on foreign shores, you need to hire professional translators and interpreters to create that local connection and get your intended message across fast to the target audience without any important aspect getting lost in translation.

Author Bio:

Erica Richards is an English translator. She can’t resist reading a good novel. Besides loving those amazing pieces of literature, she works as content strategist for United Translations.

Originally Posted by www.daytranslations.com.

Some pointers on etiquette and best practice when interpreting in a medical setting.

For the first time in months, I took an assignment for a medical interpreting job. While my language skills are just fine for this setting, I was reminded of how difficult this work really is and how flexible we have to be. The experience also made me remember how nervous I was when I was new, mostly because I had no idea what to expect.

The points addressed here don’t have anything to do with terminology. Terminology and asking for clarification is a different matter. What follows is a basic rundown of what you can expect in an interpreted encounter in the outpatient world.

Professional introduction with front desk, patient and family, and clinical staff: During the initial introductions, I want to make sure that everyone knows I’m the interpreter—not a family member or friend who came with the patient, and not a bilingual staff member getting pulled from her regular duties to interpret. I make it a point to introduce myself not only to the patient, but also to anyone who is with the patient (including children). This helps build rapport quickly and can ease any tension that might be there when you’ve got bilingual family members and you’re afraid they’re going to give you a hard time, which, by the way, almost never happens. The patient’s bilingual family members are not there to harass the interpreter—they just want their sister, mom, dad, etc., to be okay. When I introduce myself to the doctor, I ask if he or she has ever worked with an interpreter before. When doctors aren’t sure how to work with an interpreter, they probably won’t ask, and they’ll be grateful that you brought it up.

Waiting with the patient: It’s time to stop scaring interpreters about being alone with the patient and to start talking about why they don’t want to be alone with the patient. Basically, you don’t want to be there when the patient is telling you about his or her condition and there’s nobody to interpret it to. You don’t want to compromise your neutrality and confuse role boundaries. If the patient wants to talk about the weather while sitting in the waiting room, the world will keep spinning. If she asks you about her condition, politely suggest that she ask the doctor the same question and that you would be happy to interpret it for her.

Sight translation for intake paperwork: There are different ways to do this. One option is to read to the patient what’s on the form and show them where to write. If the patient doesn’t know how to write, you can sight translate the form and write down the patient’s answers. (Sometimes they’ll come right out and tell you they can’t write, sometimes they’ll just ask you to do the writing, and sometimes the family member will fill it out, in the same way I would fill out paperwork for a sick family member.) If patients have questions while you’re filling out the form, make sure to encourage them to ask the doctor.

Consecutive for the interview: The nurse will ask the patient initial intake questions: What medicines do you take? How much do you weigh? Where is your pain, and when did it start? What does it feel like, and how bad is it on a scale of one to ten? I use the consecutive mode for the questions as well as for the patient’s answers.

Simultaneous for the patient: When the patient is describing her pain in more detail, I move to a simultaneous interpreting, maintaining eye contact with the patient to keep her talking while I interpret. (I know that in training we learn this is a no-no, but it can be used to support good communication.) This way the doctor can hear her at the same time she’s motioning to different body parts. Another nice way to use simultaneous is when the patient is going on with a story about what happened. While note-taking for memory and consecutive is great to allow the speaker more time to talk, when you use simultaneous the doctor can have a chance to intervene and redirect the patient, just as he or she would be able to do with an English-speaking patient.

Positioning during an in-office exam or procedure: During the interview, I like to sit next to the patient if there’s room. Wherever I can hear everyone and they can hear me is a good spot. (Don’t be afraid to move around as needed as long as it’s not drawing attention to you.) If the patient is having an exam or procedure, it’s nice to look at a neutral spot so you’re not staring while their boil gets lanced or their toenails get yanked out. If they are exposed, go behind the curtain if there is one, and if not, turn around. I like to actually say (especially with male patients), “I’m turning around now so I can’t see anything.”

Sight translation for instructions: I like it when the nurse goes over the instructions with me first and then I sight translate them to the patient. It’s a nice touch and helps to maintain transparency if you let the patient know that the nurse is explaining the instructions to you first before you read them. You can sight translate anything to the patient without the nurse explaining it to you first, but you’ll want the nurse there so she can answer any questions you or the patient might have. Keep in mind that standards for accuracy in sight translation are the same for any other mode of interpreting.

Neutrality at the check-out desk: It might be tempting to fudge a little so that the follow-up appointment is at a time when you’re available to take the assignment, or to tell the check-out person that the patient requested you for the next visit. However, this creates an obvious conflict, so don’t do it.

Be prepared to take notes: Make sure to take a small notebook and something with which to write. I’m especially challenged by numbers, and they will come flying at you in the medical setting in the form of phone numbers, addresses, weight, height, dosages, times, and dates.

Smile: You can be professional and firm with your role boundaries, but be friendly.

Take time after the assignment to reflect on what went well and what could be done differently next time. Most of all, enjoy the experience of serving others! If you have any tips that might be helpful to new interpreters, I invite you to share them with me.

Elizabeth Essary has over a decade of experience as an interpreter in many different settings. She has a Master of Conference Interpreting from the Glendon School of Translation at York University in Toronto. In 2012, she received her national Certified Healthcare Interpreter™ certification (Spanish) through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI), and in 2013 she was certified through the Indiana Supreme Court Interpreter Certification Program. She is an accredited trainer through the CCHI Continuing Education Accreditation Program, and in 2013 served as an item writer and subject matter expert for CCHI’s written exam. From 2011 to 2015, in her work as language services supervisor at Indiana University Health Academic Health Center, she educated hospital staff on working effectively with interpreters and oversaw the bilingual staff approval program. She also developed a series of workshops to prepare staff interpreters for national certification. You can find her blog at https://thatinterpreter.com. Contact: lizessary819@gmail.com.

This article appeared in The Chronicle, the official publication of the American Translator’s Association. Read it here.

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.

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.