Excerpt from: Medical Translation and Interpretation
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| March 05, 2010 | | Health care staff with language knowledge may be called on to interpret, but this is often not the best solution for the patient. | Hospitals and health care facilities do not use just one type of language interpreter. In this series of posts about different categories of medical interpreters, we will look at health care staff members who sometimes do language interpreting, and who are known as “ad hoc interpreters.”
As far as health care professionals, certain bilinguals with a strong knowledge of medical terminology in both languages and a lot of on-the-job practice may be capable of performing interpreting duties. But that profile is relatively rare, and since these staff members have other duties, it can be difficult for them to jump from their regular medical job to interpreting and back again.
However, many health care professionals would be ill-equipped to carry out precise medical interpreting. Most master medical terminology in the language they studied it in --which may or may not be their first language. Interpreting is also a special skill that requires training in specific techniques, and someone without these competencies may deliver faulty information.
Clearly, the medical field increasingly faces translation and interpreting needs. When medical translators and interpreters are called upon, it is preferable that they have specific training and familiarity with their subject matter
as well as excellent language skills. At Language Translation, Inc. in San Diego, medical language services are among our specialties. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
Betty Carlson | | |
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