August 2016Issue 1Insider

Interpreter October 2016Issue 3Insider

Interpreter

Mental Health Signs: Challenges of EI Spotlight:

g gthe Deaf Community ASL interpreters have aunique challenge presentedto them when they attend

t l h lth i t t ti

EI Spotlight:Dana AustinRecruitment Project Coordinator

mental health interpretationassignments. Deafindividuals have beensubjected to experiences thatthe hearing world has greatdifficulty imagining. Becauseof this it is important thatof this, it is important thatproviders are culturallysensitive and that theinterpreter helps to ensurethat patients are getting thesame quality of care ashearing patients.

During mental health assignments,it is important that interpreters haveknowledge of the code of ethics aswell as RID protocols. It is helpful,

Where are you originallyfrom?

Pennsauken, NJ – bornand bred hearing patients.

About 90% of Deaf childrenare born into hearingfamilies. This means thattheir families have no first-hand experience of what it is

well as RID protocols. It is helpful,if possible, to discuss with theclient and the counselor what thebest seating arrangements is forboth parties. Since ASL is a distinctlanguage, providers may notunderstand the subtle nuances and

What did you study?

I was enrolled in theASL<>English InterpreterTraining Program inPhiladelphia, PA until Itransferred to Gallaudet

like to be Deaf and thechallenges associated withthis. One example of acommon issue within theDeaf community is the ideaof “dysconcious audism.”Thi th t th

different grammatical structurespresent in ASL. Some individualsdealing with severe mental issuesmay not be able to cohesivelystring together sentences in signlanguage. When appropriate, thei t t h ld id t t

University in Washington,DC where I studiedInternational Studies with aminor in American SignLanguage. When I firstentered college after highschool, I majored inS i h T l ti t This means that the

dominant hearing cultureimposes its own views onwhat it means to be Deaf.This can affect all types ofsocial interactions and createa sense of inferiority to

interpreter should provide contextfor their renditions if it will help theprovider understand the thoughtprocesses of the individual.

For more information on this subject visit:

Spanish Translation atMontclair State University.

What got you interestedin ASL?

I’ve always been attractedto languages and all things a sense of inferiority to

hearing individuals ultimatelyaffecting mental health.

subject visit:

http://www.mhit.org/arizona-training.html

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g g gvisually expressive. ASL isthe perfect blend of the two.

Continued on page 3

October 2016Issue 3Insider

Coming Soon: Mental Health Glossary

October 2016Issue 3Insider

Interpreter

Coming Soon: Mental Health GlossaryKnowledge of medical terminology is integral to a successful interpretation encounter. As areflection of this, TransPerfect has prepared a mental health glossary for interpreters to ensure thatthey are up-to-date on medical and mental health terminology in their target languages.

Our glossary is highly comprehensive and aligned with the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical

School District MeetingsManual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) from the American Psychiatric Association. This glossarycovers main mental and behavioral disorders, from ADHD to substance use. This will assist withthe complex subject matter that interpreters deal with during a mental health encounter. Theglossary is organized first alphabetically to provide an easy search option for the term, withtranslation and definition, and then by disorders, listing symptoms and treatment options alltranslated into the target language. Below is just an excerpt of the upcoming Vietnamese glossary:

Quick Tip: Interested in more information about mental health topics?Visit: https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

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The glossary will be available in the following languages: Albanian , Amharic, Arabic, Cantonese,Cape Verdean, French, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, andVietnamese.

August 2016

Mental Health Interpretation

Issue 1

Continued from Page 1

October 2016Issue 3Insider

Interpreter

Mental Health Interpretation

In Mental Health encounters,communicative demands arecomplex. You will be expected toconvey subtle meanings in

Cultural Competence andCultural Brokering (within yourexpertise)

A l ll h

Continued from Page 1

How do your experiencesas an interpreter help youin your role atTransPerfect?

Having insight as anchallenging settings in thepresence of psychosis, anxiety,depression or thought disorder,You may need to interpret word-for-word when no coherentmeaning is present. Accuracy andff ti i ti l

A culturally competent approachto Mental Health encounters is anessential part of diagnosis. Yourrole as cultural broker is veryimportant (e.g. feeling blue maymean different things in differentcultures; stigmas associated with

g gfreelance interpreter, Iunderstand the importanceof assignment detail. Oftentimes, the lack ofinformation in anassignment’s details can bethe difference between ahighly successful job and aeffectiveness is essential as

interpretation errors may lead tounder or over-estimation of mentalhealth conditions.

Mode of Interpretation

cultures; stigmas associated withmental disorders may impedecommunication, etc.). If you moveinto the role of a cultural brokerduring a session, it is essentialthat you raise issues you think arepresent allow the provider to ask

highly successful job and acatastrophe. My position asa Project Coordinator atTransPerfect allows me theability to provideinterpreters placed on anassignment the detailedcomponents that, to others

The mode of interpretation mayvary from consecutive tosimultaneous. Be flexible. Thepreference may be set by theprovider during the pre-sessiondepending on type of disorder,

present, allow the provider to askfollow-up questions to the patientand you, and provide additionalfeedback while always informingthe provider about the limits ofyour knowledge and experience.

pmay not seem critical but,can and likely WILL helpthe job to be completed assmoothly as possible.

What do you think is themost challenging aspectof being an interpreter?p g yp ,

type of encounter and the overallrhythm of the encounter. In somesituations, such as when theclient’s speech is confused orincoherent, word-for- wordinterpretation may more accurately

Expect Continuity ofEncounters with the SamePatient

Most patients require a series ofencounters in the evaluation and

O h f l

of being an interpreter?

Because the language Iinterpret is audibly silentand foreign to most people,it’s sometime difficult tohave others understandthat when I am voicing the

convey such confusion orincoherence. Sometimes theinformation to be conveyed maymake no sense as a result ofthought disorder or psychosis. Forthe Mental Health staff member todi thi it i th t

treatment. Once they feelcomfortable with an interpreter,they tend to develop a preferencefor reasons of trust and stability.

Mental Health Protocol Video Links:

gthoughts/feelings/opinionsexpressed by the signer, Iam solely the messenger,not the source.

What are your hobbiesoutside of work?

discern this, it is necessary thatyou interpret exactly what is said,rather than constructing meaningwhere no coherent meaning exists.

https://goo.gl/FPcC0h

https://goo.gl/994lTx

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Painting, writing, thriftshopping, star-gazing,daydreaming, drinkingapple juice, eating carbs,and being eternally free.