Health Care Interpreting Essays -- Communication, Bilingual People, Tr

Introduction As the demand of health-care interpreting is growing, health institutions need more professional medical interpreters. As an interpreter, however, many untrained bilingual people interpret between the patients and the medical practitioners in medical setting in Korea. When the interpreters who are related to the patient interpret for the patient and the medical practitioners, impartiality sometimes is challenged because it is difficult to adhere to neutrality when their relatives or friends are involved. This paper is aiming to figure out the principle of impartiality which seems to be most challenged and consequences of using relatives and friends as the interpreter drawn from my own interpreting experience in medical settings. Description When I was in Korea, I used to be a volunteer interpreter in international clinic. As a volunteer interpreter, my job was not demanded professional medical interpreting skills. One day, I got a call from a nurse who had a foreign patient. She told me that the patient was an English man and he needed an interpreter when he sees a doctor. The nurse also said that this consultation did not contain serious or difficult medical terminology. When I went to the waiting room, I recognized that he is my former English professor. He also remembered me so we exchanged greetings. While we were exchanging greetings, the nurse asked about our relationship and I told her that I took his class in last semester. When the nurse heard my story, she said that it might be good if the patient has a company who know him. At that time, I thought that our relationship, professor and student, would not be a problem to be an interpreter for him. Therefore, I showed him into the doctor’s room and started ... ... the patient. As a matter of situation and literature, I believe that the interpreters should not take an assignment which is related to the interpreter in medical setting. However, if the relationship with the patient is leading to successful consequences, the interpreters should take an assignment as the patient’s needed. Conclusion The top priority of the medical interpreters is removing language barrier between the medical practitioners and the patients and helping the patients to treat properly. Indeed, impartiality can be challenged in medical setting. However, some articles are pointed out that the interpreter who is related to the patient is not always harmful to the patients and the medical practitioners. Therefore, when the medical interpreters take an assignment, they should consider what the best is for the patients and the medical practitioners.