The Linguist

24 The Linguist Vol/64 No/3 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist FEATURES ensure everything about the procedure and recovery is explained. I was once waiting with a patient post-surgery and it was clear from her expressions that she was in excruciating pain. She hinted that she needed medical attention several times, so I informed nearby medical staff. On a different assignment, I sat next to the patient while she was having a caesarean section and kept chatting with her, as asked, to ensure she was ok. The patient talked about not feeling anything, telling me how terrified she was and hoping her baby would come out ok, while half her body was curtained off. In these cases, what I was doing was much more than interpreting in the strict sense of the word. A PROGRESSIVE ROADMAP When the interpreters' Code of Ethics was formed decades ago, it was to establish a set of guiding principles for this emerging profession to maintain a high level of professional integrity and standards, accountability and ethical decisions. It attempts to mitigate and address the risk of malpractice in a scenario where an interpreter is possibly the only person in a position to communicate to the parties involved. The understanding was that the role should have no room for subjectivity, emotions or undue interference. Although our ethical codes have been updated over the years, their core values remain largely unchanged. With an increasing awareness of the need for incorporating empathy in medical interpreting, it is perhaps time to revise the current codes to be relevant, effective and in alignment with best practice in the medical field, so that interpreters can make informed decisions in any given situation. A qualified interpreter in a medical setting should be able to practise empathy at work by listening and interpreting patiently, and adopting a patient-focused approach, while complying with appropriate ethical codes. Notes 1 Eby, D (2018) 'Empathy in General Practice: Its meaning for patients and doctors'. In British Journal of General Practice, 68 (674), 412-413 2 Lan, NW and Leung, ESM (2021) 'Empathy as Embodied in Medical Interpreting: A case study of medical interpreter- trainees' turn-taking management'. In Moratto, R and Li, D, Global Insights into Public Service Interpreting: Theory, practice and training, London: Routledge, 25-47; Krystallidou, D et al (2018) 'Investigating Empathy in Interpreter-Mediated Simulated Consultations: An explorative study'. In Patient Education and Counseling, 101 (1), 33-42 3 Merlini, R and Gatti, M (2015) 'Empathy in Healthcare Interpreting: Going beyond the notion of role'. In The Interpreters' Newsletter, 20, 139-160 4 Op. cit. Lan & Leung E very child, regardless of background or prior attainment, deserves access to strong language teaching. But the reality is that, for a number of reasons, provision varies nationally. Effective curricula are crucial, providing a pathway to building knowledge, confidence and cultural meaning. That's simple enough to describe, but really hard, not to mention time- consuming, to get right. As a publicly-funded provider of free, adaptable curriculum materials, the Oak National Academy (www.thenational.academy) aims to help teachers strengthen their practice and claw back precious working hours. Originally set up in response to the pandemic, we have been working with expert schools and organisations to develop resources to support teachers in delivering well-sequenced, high-quality lessons across all areas of the national curriculum. As part of this work, we've released languages curricula in partnership with the Cam Could language teachers save time with Oak National Academy's Alice Harrison Supporting TEACHING AID Oak's resources aim to make things quicker and easier for teachers (main image); and support them with in- person lessons (below)

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