Professional Preparation for ASL/English Medical Interpreters

1. Professional Preparation for ASL/English Medical Interpreters Karen Malcolm Douglas College New Westminster, BC

2. Interpreting in Medical Settings Continuing Education Douglas College

3. Overview of Presentation • History of program establishment • Program model and delivery • Course content • Challenges • Program revisions • Suggestions for future programs

4. History of Program Establishment • Eldridge decision, 1997 • Medical Interpreting Services established • Interim list of qualified interpreters • Development of screening tool

5. Program Establishment • Dept. of Sign Language Interpretation • Centre for Curriculum, Transfer and Technology • Panel of experts: interpreters, Deaf community members, medical experts

6. Program Model • Five modules • Medical Discourse and the Medical System • ASL for Medical Settings, Part I • ASL for Medical Settings, Part II • Interpreting in Medical Settings, Part I • Interpreting in Medical Settings, Part II 30 hours instruction for each

7. Program Model Three instructors: hearing interpreter, Deaf interpreter/ASL instructor, MIS coordinator (also Deaf) Taking all five courses = waived test fee for screening Students received letter of completion

8. Delivery Model • On-line for medical discourse • Face to face for other four courses: two weekends per course • Summer intensive: two weeks, 6 hours per day

9. Students • Graduates of recognized interpreter preparation program • Two years’ experience • Many already working in medical settings

10. Course Content • Medical Discourse and the Medical System • English: major physiological systems with related terminology • Review of Greek/Latin roots useful in determining meaning • Discourse genre used by medical practitioners

11. Part I, ASL and Interpreting • Orientation to the hospital setting • Anatomy and physiology in ASL • Physical exams • Pregnancy and obstetrics • Intestinal disorders • Ethics and values clarification • Compassion • Logistics • Medication

12. Part II, ASL and Interpreting • Cardiology • Diabetes • Oncology • Depression/mental health • HIV/AIDS • ER • Minority populations • Pain • Informed consent • Sight translation

13. Materials and Resources • Skeleton • Anatomical models • Videos • Live models

14. What we learned • Students are weak in visual representation in ASL • Logistics and assertiveness are important • Interpreters need to go beyond the form of the message • Consecutive interpretation practice is vital

15. Challenges • Development of teaching materials • Updating curriculum • Student recruitment: • Cost • Credential awarded • Ability to work without taking the program • Small number of potential students

16. Program modifications • Not offering Medical Discourse course…encouraged students to take elsewhere • Reduction in hours for ASL and interpreting (from 30 hours to 15) • Programming in summer intensive • Trainers traveling to other cities

17. Suggestions for future directions • Increase on-line delivery • Tie credential to employment/payment • Seek funding for curriculum revision and materials development • Mentor new educators to deliver curriculum

18. Conclusion Strengths: -recognition of ASL skills needed, and the teaching approaches that provide this instruction -teaching interpreting approaches that are successful in medical settings -development of teaching materials that support instruction

19. Conclusion Challenges: -student recruitment -curriculum revision -materials development

20. Any questions? Thank you!