{"id":2326,"date":"2016-01-05T16:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-01-05T20:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/?p=2326"},"modified":"2018-11-04T16:42:43","modified_gmt":"2018-11-04T20:42:43","slug":"medical-interpreters-on-a-different-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/ID\/medical-interpreters-on-a-different-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Medical Interpreters on a Different Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Helen Eby<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\"[Medical<\/p>\n

M<\/span>arch, 2015. I was sitting at home, talking with friends. Ring!<\/p>\n

\u2014Hello? This is Portland Public Schools. Could I talk to Helen Eby?<\/p>\n

\u2014Yes\u2026 That\u2019s me\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014Are you available on April 16 to interpret for a Nobel laureate, Dr. Rigoberta Mench\u00fa, from Guatemala? Oh, please keep this totally confidential. We don\u2019t want anyone to know about it except through us\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014Sure!<\/p>\n

\u2014Thanks! Oh, she doesn\u2019t want to work with court interpreters.<\/p>\n

\u2014But\u2026 Uh\u2026 Well, I\u2019m a court certified interpreter, but I do very little work there right now, and I\u2019m mostly a medical interpreter trainer. I think my distinctive mark is advocacy for quality interpreting so that the limited English proficient speakers (LEPs) can have access to quality services, which she would understand.<\/p>\n

\u2014Thanks! If you could send me an email with this explanation as well as your budget, that would be great.<\/p>\n

“And so started the adventure. I set out to research Dr. Mench\u00fa’s work.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

And so started the adventure. I set out to research Dr. Mench\u00fa\u2019s work. I had been in Guatemala with the MV Logos, a missionary ship, just one year after the Guatemalan civil war had ended. As I read Dr. Mench\u00fa\u2019s books, in preparation for interpreting, I remembered my time in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador back in 1987. The area was suffering. People were struggling with the concept of how to be at peace with each other. I remembered the military trucks driving around after the ceasefire. It was a privilege to interpret for Dr. Mench\u00fa as she brought a message of peace to Portland. She had overcome that struggle.<\/p>\n

\"[Medical<\/a>
Dr. Mench\u00fa and Helen Eby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The phone rang again.<\/p>\n

\u2014Helen, this will be a four hour assignment.<\/p>\n

\u2014Uh\u2026 For something that long, I need a team.<\/p>\n

\u2014We know that, so we will find a couple of people to work with you.<\/p>\n

\u2014I get to pick my partners. You want quality, and I want to be able to practice with my team ahead of time.<\/p>\n

\u2014OK, just let us know who they are.<\/p>\n

OK! Now, it was time to find my partners! Medical interpreters who were awesome: certified, experienced in simultaneous interpreting, highly accurate in consecutive interpreting and reliable in front of an audience of 1500 people\u2026<\/p>\n

Jazmin! She can do it! Jazmin was ready. She\u2019d been through a few adventures with me already.<\/p>\n

Heidi! She was getting ready for the court exam, and was up for the task.<\/p>\n

We got together, read about Dr. Mench\u00fa, and had a day on the stage.<\/p>\n

We went through the agenda. We set it up so nobody would be interpreting for any two people who spoke in succession and we assigned a specific interpreter to each person who came to the microphone.<\/p>\n

We planned what to wear.<\/p>\n

We were invited to the school the day before, to run through the agenda. That day we took the opportunity to have a \u201cdress rehearsal\u201d on the stage, and\u00a0we practiced speaking confidently to an empty hall for 1500 people.<\/p>\n

“That day we took the opportunity to have a ‘dress rehearsal’ on the stage,\u00a0and\u00a0we practiced speaking confidently to an empty hall for 1500 people.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

We tested the sound on the stage, saying things like, \u201cI like potato chips!\u201d with clarity and confidence, just to break the ice and speak in the empty hall. While we did that, in turns, the others were standing halfway down the hall critiquing the clarity of our sound and diction. Why? In case the microphones failed.<\/p>\n

We left, and in the parking lot, we had a D\u2019Artagnan hug, \u201cAll for one and one for all!\u201d We were a team. We were going to succeed or fail as a team. Actually, the plan was to succeed! But we were in this together. Nobody was the star.<\/p>\n

The next day we went to the school to interpret. We were funneled through security from here to there, and enjoyed meeting Dr. Mench\u00fa as well as the people we were there to support. Each one of us immediately connected with the person we were assigned to interpret for and held a pre-session. All of them had a chance to talk about their presentations with us.<\/p>\n

The first part was informal, with Dr. Mench\u00fa speaking to the students. We worked as a well-functioning team, responding to the need of the situation. I sat by Dr. Mench\u00fa, interpreting for her, and Heidi and Jazmin supported the English speakers in the room.<\/p>\n

Then we went to the Green Room to get ready for the public part of the assignment, on the Jefferson High Auditorium stage.<\/p>\n

\u2014What is the Green Room?, asked Dr. Mench\u00fa.<\/p>\n

\u2014Well, it sure isn\u2019t green\u2026 It\u2019s the place where artists and speakers rest and get ready for their time on stage. I have no idea why they call it the Green Room!<\/p>\n

\"[Medical<\/a>
Dr. Mench\u00fa and the interpreting team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On stage, it was time. The lights came on, cameras rolled, and the medical interpreters had to step out of the cubicle and into the limelight. There was no hesitation. We were professionals, doing what we were prepared for. Our colleagues were in the audience, and we knew it. It was rewarding to get compliments (not rotten tomatoes) on Facebook!<\/p>\n

It was an exciting assignment. We did something special that day. But what so was special about it?<\/p>\n

We put interpreting quality on display for the City of Portland to see.<\/p>\n

It was clear to all that we were a team and were in this together. The team, of course, included the speaker and the school administration!<\/p>\n

We showed that medical interpreters can be awesome!<\/p>\n

Watch the show here!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n