Check out ServiceHub at the IMIA Conference on Medical Interpreting, October 9-11, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, MA.
Global Perspectives on Professional Medical Interpreters– reflects two thoughts, first that the right to a competent medical interpreter in all medically related encounters is not a local issue only but is a right in all parts of the world. Language access is a right that is protected by local, state, federal, and even international laws. The second belief is that medical interpreters are professionals that deserve the recognition and working conditions of comparable professions. While the interpreting profession is well established in the business and conference sectors, it is not as recognized or understood in the health care sector.
The interpreting intdusry in California provides a livelihood to thousands of service providers. As a court interpreter in California, I can affirm that this service, provided by the Federal government in Federal Courts, by each County and by the State in their respective courts, in criminal matters, and by the parties themselves in civil matters, both at depositions and court hearings, is highly advanced and covers every conceivable language. The requirements to be certified as a court interpreter, including ongoing education as a prerequisite of periodic renewal of the interpreter’s license, are quite stringent. Despite the enormous budgets allocated for this purpose, the quality of interpretation is uneven. Whether video interpretation would adversely affect the standard of interpretation is an open question. Many courts have full-time Spanish interpreters who are on the spot to interpret for dozens of parties each day. Given the economies of that system for that language, the financial saving in linking up to remote interpreters is doubtful. Telephone interpretation is fairly widely used in the medical field in California but I have no personal experience of how effective it is.