Spanish Medical Interpreter

Principle Responsibilities and Duties

• Understand a variety of regional accents and linguistic styles for target language.
• Select appropriate mode of interpretation for each situation.
• Ideal accuracy and completeness in verbal interpretation, sight interpretation modes and written translation.
• Self-correct, understand own linguistic limitations, seeks clarification and accepts corrections.
• Pick up cues from encounter participants regarding level of understanding and/or need for clarification.
• Strong writing skill and understanding of translation process.
• Cultural awareness: Understand language as an expression of culture, recognizes the underlying assumptions of each party about medicine, the encounter, the illness etc., uses this understanding to empower patient and provider to better understand each other.
• Intervene as intercultural mediator when communication is compromised by culture-bound messages.
• Avoid generalizations and stereotyping.
• Use culturally appropriate behavior and is able to choose appropriate time to clarify or interject by respecting the goals of the encounter.
• Be aware of own personal values, beliefs and cultural characteristics which may be a source of conflict or discomfort in certain situations, is able to acknowledge these and/or to withdraw from encounters when these may Interfere With Successful Interpretation.
• Strong Interpreting Skills: Explain role of the interpreter to patient, providers and other medical staff.
• Recognize the complexity of the clinical encounter and added factor of linguistic barrier.
• Set a tone of the patient and provider encounter to manage spatial configuration and flow of communication to preserve accuracy and completeness, and to assess and address potential areas of discomfort for patient.
• Maintain professional distance and integrity.
• Diffuse conflict between parties by remaining calm and impartial.
• Clarify instructions; follow up steps in a diplomatic and effective manner.
• Ethical: Understand and abide by health center's policies on patient confidentiality, informed consent, non-discrimination and by interpreter's code of ethics and standards of practice.
• Advocacy: Address concerns raised during or after an encounter by encouraging involved parties to make appropriate referrals to patient navigators or inform managers to address the matter.