Microlecture 014: Should We Think of the Interpreter as an Invisible Person?

Microlecture 014: Should We Think of the Interpreter as an Invisible Person?

ByVJ Periyakoil

“The best thing to do from a medical provider’s perspective to help the MI is to act as if the MI is invisible” says Maria Reira. Ms. Reira is an expert medical interpreter (MI) who interprets in  Spanish, Catalan, and German. Should we behave as if the MI is an invisible presence, a ‘body-less’ voice,…

Microlecture 002: Medical interpreter as a Voice Conduit

Microlecture 002: Medical interpreter as a Voice Conduit

ByVJ Periyakoil

It can be a bit awkward to figure out how to best to optimally engage the medical interpreter (MI). Is the MI just the “voice” of the patient? Should they transmit only the verbal aspects? What about the nonverbal aspects of what the patient is saying? For example, if the patient is depressed should the…