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Agree and dismissRemote Interpreting (RI) offers two modalities to provide the services of a qualified (certified) healthcare interpreter, usually located at a call center, to speakers at a different location (e.g. hospital, clinic, etc.):
The scripts provided below are intended as general examples only. CCHI thanks Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) and UCSF Medical Center for sharing their suggestions.
Introduction to the Provider
“Hi, my name is X, Spanish interpreter. For your record, my ID number is XYZ. Can you hear me well? How may I help you?”
{The caller identifies him / herself and mentions the patient’s name and the nature of interpreting. If they don’t, you ask:}
{If a provider hesitates giving the patient’s name or age due to privacy considerations, say, “It’s just for courtesy, I do not keep names…”}
Then continue:
“May I go ahead and explain to your patient how I work.”
Introduce yourself to the patient (see below). Finish with interpreting back to the provider what you told the patient:
“Doctor, you probably know what I explained. I told your patient that it’s my pleasure to help. I will repeat everything from one language into the other, that the conversation is confidential, that I will ask for a pause or clarification if I need one, and that I hope the two of you speak directly to each other. I also checked that the patient hears me well. Thank you. We’re ready.”
Introduction to the Patient
“Hi, my name is X, I’ll be your Spanish interpreter today. Have you used video {or phone} interpreting before?”
If no, – continue:
“Everything is confidential, and you are not being recorded. I will interpret everything I hear in the room. Please speak loudly and clearly and pause often for the interpretation. Please address the doctor directly. Can you hear me well?”
If yes, – continue:
“I will interpret everything I hear in the room. This conversation is confidential. Please speak loudly and clearly and pause often for the interpretation. Please address the doctor directly. Can you hear me well?”
Depending on the situation and culture, you may want to ask how the patient prefers to be addressed.
Asking for Clarification
“The interpreter needs clarification.”
The two Zoom Roadmaps below are provided courtesy of Clara Lai, interpreter at UCSF Health.
Instructions on using Zoom – English
Instructions on using Zoom – Chinese
We sincerely thank UCSF Health for sharing these simple instructions to patients in several formats and languages:
Cheng, Quianya. Examining the challenges for telephone interpreters in New Zealand. 2015: click here
Kelly, Nataly. A Medical Interpreter’s Guide to Telephone Interpreting. 2008: click here
Kelly, Nataly. Telephone Interpreting: A Comprehensive Guide to the Profession. 2007. CCHI thanks the author for the permission to share the link to her book: click here
The Remote Interpreter Webinar Series by Cross-Cultural Communications (April 2020) – the most comprehensive online training to date – at https://www.interpretertraining-online.com/webinars
ATA’s on-demand webinar “Freelancing as a Remote and Distant Interpreter: Over-the-Phone and Webcast Interpreting”: click here
CCHI’s recorded webinar “COVID-19’s Impact on Healthcare Interpreting” (3/21/20): https://youtu.be/aCg6up32gjU
HCIN’s online course “Protocols and Tips for Video Remote Interpreters in Healthcare” (1.5 hrs): click here
InterpreTips “When the Provider and Patient Share One Headset”: click here
InterpreterEducationOnline:
NCIHC’s webinars at www.ncihc.org/trainerswebinars (free to members):
Orange County Department of Education – video on remote interpreting of IEP meetings (04/08/2020), great practical tips and scripts applicable to healthcare settings: click here
The Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc.: Webinar on Phone Interpreting in Australia
InterpretAmerica 2020 (3/26/20) – Event recording and resources: https://www.interpretamerica.com/ia-2020-resources
Anna Stieg’s blog post: https://thatinterpreter.com/under-the-headset-the-joy-of-working-in-pajama-pants/
Liz Essary’s blog post: https://thatinterpreter.com/remote-interpreters-need-love-too/
AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters) Distance/Remote Interpreting Resources: click here
Information about remote interpreting in Australia: click here
VRI Hardware & Connection: click here
Article about looking good on video calls: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/294107
Video about looking good on webcam: click here
Tech-savvy interpreter – videos from InterpretAmerica: https://www.interpretamerica.com/tech-savvy-interpreter
Article about headsets: click here
Info about Acoustic Shock – so you can search for headsets that can prevent/mitigate/alleviate its possibility – click here
(Disclaimer: CCHI does not endorse or recommend any specific products; all links are provided for information purposes only. Please, use your own judgement when selecting a headset for continuous use.)
Gallaudet University’s links to presentations at 2010 National Symposium on Interpreting via Video: click here
National Association of the Deaf’s VRI resources: https://www.nad.org/resources/technology/video-remote-interpreting/
National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers. Steps Toward Identifying Effective Practices in Video Remote Interpreting: 2010 Report: click here
Resources of the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers: http://www.interpretereducation.org/specialization/vrs-vri/
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf’s (RID) publication “Video Remote Interpreting”: click here
RID’s presentation “VRI: Friend or Foe?”: https://rid.org/class/vri-friend-or-foe/
Article in The Verge about current challenges (06/04/2020): click here to access
If you would like to share your resources, please send the info to solutions@cchicertification.org. Thank you!