14 The Linguist Vol/63 No/2
ciol.org.uk/thelinguist
Why in-house medical interpreting is better for our health. By
M
edical interpreting is often done by
freelancers, hired for one-off
assignments, even if the patient has
a chronic condition and/or needs several
appointments and procedures. UC San
Diego Health has an in-house team of six full-
time English<>Spanish interpreters. Our
consistent presence meets an interpersonal
need that is often missing in the US healthcare
system. Given San Diego's proximity to the
US-Mexico border (less than 20 miles away),
there is a high demand for medical services
in Spanish and the hospital offers free 24/7
interpreting. Freelancers are used for ASL
(American Sign Language) and other
languages on an ad-hoc basis.
Surgical oncologist Charles Coffey lists
several advantages of working with a regular
group of dedicated interpreters: patients
become familiar with their interpreters and
outpatient and inpatient appointments,
diabetes insulin administration tutorials,
physical/occupational/speech therapy
sessions, briefs on cancer treatment options,
clinical trials and end-of-life discussions.
On a typical day, I can attend prescheduled
appointments and complete rounds in
different units. One moment I may be
interpreting for a social worker educating a
family about bone marrow transplants, using
languages to explain graft-versus-host disease
(injerto contra huésped), the next I may receive
an alert that I am urgently needed in the ER.
The pace can change from placid waters to
a turbulent sea of IV drips, ventilators, loud
voices and the sound of a monitor indicating a
heart has stopped beating. In that moment, I
am the only linguistic and cultural link between
a distraught woman holding her husband
who has just died, and a chaplain reciting the
A TEAM IN GOOD HEA
look forward to seeing them; this creates
opportunities for relationship-building; and
the presence of in-person interpreters can go
a long way in bolstering patient trust and
confidence in the medical team.
As interpreters, we feel privileged to be
present for clients at some of their most
vulnerable moments, and when we know that
our employer values our expertise, it brings
us purpose and fulfillment. Patients are
grateful that every instance of good news – a
cancer remission or a successful transplant –
can be fully expressed.
PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED
Humanity is at the centre of medical
interpreting and the work brings us in close
proximity to human suffering and mortality,
and all the weight that carries. In the past
seven years, I have been present at both
