Cafe Lingo

Tip #1: Find Your Community

Being a freelance medical interpreter, especially when you’re working remotely, can feel lonely. But don’t despair – you can still be part of your professional community. Approach fellow interpreters when you’re out on assignments, make new connections when attending professional events – or build a virtual community using social media (scroll down this blog article for some medical interpreter Facebook group ideas), and connect on professional apps like Slack, or messengers like Telegram. From debriefing after a difficult assignment to getting help with a tricky term, having the help and support of your peers is invaluable. 

Tip #2: Keep Honing Your Skills 

Whether you’d like to become a more efficient note-taker, get better at simultaneous interpretation, or brush up on your sight translation techniques, the options for learning are numerous – from webinars to in-person classes. There are also some things you can do on your own. For honing your simultaneous interpretation skills, try shadowing which involves listening to somebody speak and trying to repeat it verbatim. This will help you get used to having to listen and speak at the same time  and develop fluency. You can try shadowing YouTube videos, podcast hosts, or characters on a medical TV show. For practicing sight translation, try bilingual patient education materials like those on MedLine Plus. Once you find your practice material, take a minute to preview the text. Then, record yourself sight-translating it. Compare your recording with the translated version of the text. While your translation doesn’t have to be identical, it will give you a good idea of where you need to improve. 

Tip #3: Keep Updating Your Glossary 

Nobody knows every single medical term  – not even medical providers! There’s always something new to learn, either in preparation for an upcoming appointment or after an encounter when you jotted down some terms you had difficulty with. There are many ways to maintain a glossary , from keeping a paper notebook to a cloud-based spreadsheet (e.g. Google Sheets) to apps like Quizlet, which also lets you study your terms with built-in exercises and tests. 

Tip #4: Practice Self-Care 

Whether working onsite or remotely, medical interpreters may have to deal with many stressors – from the unpredictability of our schedules to emotionally difficult encounters, and having to sit down for long periods of time. While it’s hard to take time off when you feel like you need to be working, it is essential that we take the time to look after ourselves even if it’s just a short meditation exercise or a quick chat with a friend. If we want to keep helping others, we must also remember to help ourselves. 

Tip #5: Learn about Infection Control 

Even when there isn’t a pandemic, medical interpreters work in settings where they could be facing potential exposure to harmful microorganisms. Knowing infection control protocols will not only keep you and your loved ones safe, but it will also protect patients, some of whom can be vulnerable to infections. Many hospitals require interpreters to do infection control orientation, but if you’d like a refresher, you can take this free infection control course from MasterWord and read this detailed and well-researched article advising medical interpreters on how to disinfect their phones.

Conclusion 

Ours is a wonderful profession, but it comes with its share of stress. In addition, working remotely or on a freelance basis can be lonely. To combat that, make sure to practice self-care and to surround yourself with supportive peers – whether in real life or virtually. Another thing about being a medical interpreter is that there’s always more to learn – from skill development to medical terminology, so keep learning!  

As the pandemic continues to wreak havoc on global society, hospital supplies are running short, beds are full, and doctors and nurses are working 72-hour shifts to fill the need for their onslaught of patients. The scrambling to serve all of those inflicted by the consequences of the virus has been and will continue to be part of everyday life for the foreseeable future. Life for many has transitioned into virtual reality for the time-being, while hospitals and healthcare organizations more than anything are feeling the heat of this global crisis.

As we watch the world try to figure out what to do, we must ready ourselves in the interpretation industry to offer swift and efficient services to those in need. Luckily, we happen to have a vast network of medically-prepared and trained interpreters in more than 200+ languages. The Boostlingo Professional Interpreter Network is ready to help!

Hospitals are inevitably avoiding bringing in non-medical staff whenever possible, which means Limited English Proficient patients will need interpretation services outside the hospital. The often on-site or in-person interpreting will need to take a backseat to remote interpreting to help diminish the spread of the virus in general.

What can we do to ensure patients are getting the best care possible? We are prepared with a robust network of interpreters managed by trusted Language Service Agency partners. Video Remote Interpreting provides a unique alternative to in-person interpreting in times like these especially. The visual communication factor provides a level of human touch that a simple phone line cannot.

Additionally, those healthcare institutions who are hiring interpreters, need to make sure these professionals are highly trained and ready to work at any time. Knowing what to be ready for is difficult in these circumstances, and the level of preparedness appears to vary from state to state, city to city, hospital to hospital, and from individual to individual. So, in these cases Boostlingo is looking at every circumstance carefully.

Boostlingo, as widely adopted Interpreting Technology Platform in the Language Industry and Video Communication Market today, is fully equipped for this pandemic. The Boostlingo platform was developed to help Language Service Organizations of any size, scale their interpretation business quickly and efficiently. At this time, Language Service Organizations are experiencing a high demand for their healthcare interpreters.

By working together and using technology, interpreters will play a key role in slowing the spread of the virus. A rapid, global medical response could greatly mitigate the economic and social costs of global pandemics, as well as reducing loss of life. This result, however, would only be possible if everyone is on board and doing their jobs efficiently.

Communication is key, yet can be very stressful when language barriers are present. If people can not communicate with each other, they can be left with misunderstandings, feeling defeated, frustrated, or completely powerless. However, in today’s world, this should never be the case. Today, multilingual and limited English proficient (LEP) people have access to unlimited communication and interpreting services, so being misunderstood or having little communication should never be a problem. 

There are more than 350 languages spoken in U.S. homes today, which means small business owners and individuals need to make it possible to avoid language barriers easily and effectively. While these types of communication services may seem out of reach for small business owners and individuals, they aren’t at all. Platforms like Boostlingo ensure that companies are able to have these interpreting services within seconds. 

It’s important to keep in mind too, that just because your business isn’t a state of the art hospital or large corporation, doesn’t mean you can’t have access to obtaining these services. So today, we’re here to tell you how small businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals can connect to professional language support just like everyone else. 

They Benefit from Personal Interpreting Services 

At Boostlingo, our platform offers language service companies the ideal on-demand language access solution quickly and efficiently. Which is what everyone is looking for to make the customer happy. 

Interpreting Services Can Help Bring Your Small Business to the Next Level 

With our over the phone interpreting, video remote interpreting or on-site interpreting, we at Boostlingo can help you take your business to the next level. All of these options are easily accessible and can be done or scheduled through the Boostlingo app. 

You Can Connect to Interpreting Services Within Seconds

As we’ve mentioned, as soon as you log onto your Boostlingo app you will have access to all interpreting services. In fact, our platform has quickly become one of the most widely adopted software systems across the global interpretation industry.

So remember, just because you’re small, doesn’t mean you have to be. Having access to communication services is just as easy for you as it is for bigger companies. We see everyone equally as Boostlingo, and want to help eliminate language barriers for everyone! 

For more information, please visit: https://www.boostlingo.com/

When it comes to the healthcare industry, the need for language services is extremely important. Typically, the need for this happens when limited English proficient patients come in and are unable to communicate with doctors or other healthcare professionals. 

Professional medical interpreters are necessary when it comes to working with and overcoming linguistic barriers in patient relations. By doing so, patients who are limited English-proficient will receive the quality healthcare they need. 

However, many still do not understand the need for interpretation services. This is why we’ve put together a list of a few interesting facts to help you better understand interpretation in hospitals. 

1. In 2013, an estimate of 61.6 million individuals, foreign and U.S. born, spoke a language other than English at home. 41 percent (25.1 million) were considered Limited English Proficient (LEP).  – Migration Policy
2. According to the Joint Commission, Communication and language barriers in hospitals ranked the number 3 reason why sentinel events happened at 489 out of 2,378. 
3. At least 8.6 percent of the U.S. population is at risk for adverse events because of barriers associated with their language ability. – AHRQ
4. According to CRICO Strategies out of 7,149 cases, 30% of medical malpractice lawsuits are because of miscommunication.  
5. The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million between 2000 and 2010, which means over half of the 27.3 million increase in the total population of the United States. – Census Gov
6. LEP patients are more likely to report problems understanding a medical situation confusion about how to use medication, trouble understanding a medication label and a bad reaction to medication due to problems understanding the instructions. – NBCI
7. After examining rates of 30-day readmissions across patients by race/ethnicity, LEP patients are more likely to be readmitted than others. – NCBI
8. By having a trained medical professional on staff, there are fewer errors in care for LEP patients. – Science Daily 
9. In addition to readmission rates, racial, ethnic and LEP patients, including other health concerns like increased risks of long stays at the hospital, less access to primary care providers and higher rates of anxiety and depression. 
10. 49.1% of LEP patients are involved in some sort of physical harm.

This research of facts ensures even more that interpreters are needed in the healthcare industry. Their job is important and can save lives.

With a new year, comes new trends. In this case specifically, new language trends. America is at an all-time high when it comes to diversity, which means they need for effective language services is increasing in all industries across the United States. This means qualified interpreters and translators are high-value members in serving the needs of linguistically diverse populations. Today, we are a few days into the new year and will be discussing a few of the emerging trends we will be seeing in the year 2020 to help you become aware of emerging language trends in major American markets. By knowing these trends, it will provide a better understanding of how to best serve the cultural and language needs of today’s diverse populations all around the country. 

2020 Emerging Trends

Limited English Proficiency in the United States Trends

As of 2013, there were over 25 million United States residents that were considered to have Limited English Proficiency over the age of 5. Statistically, that means 8% of the United States population is limited in their use of speaking English. Luckily, there have been many languages access programs, such as Boostlingo that serve the needs of the growing LEP population in the U.S. in major industries such as healthcare, legal, insurance, travel and many more. 

Immigration Trends

The largest group of new immigrants to the United States is Asia, this means they are larger than Latin America and Mexico. By having these new immigration trends mean that the need for language services is an absolute necessity in order to serve these diverse populations. 

Foreign-born Population Influence Trends

Nearly 59 million immigrants have come to the United States over the past 50 years making the population not only grow but drastically change. About 14% of the total U.S. population is foreign-born. This meaning, that Immigrant population growth alone has accounted for 29% of U.S. population growth since 2000. Additionally, between 2015 and predicted to 2065  immigration is projected to account for 88% of the U.S. population increase. Immigration trends highlight the need for effective language interpretation solutions across the United States such as video remote interpretation, in-person and over the phone. 

It is important to know and understand these new language trends that 2020 is bringing. Language trends are continuing to shape our country and the many organizations and industries in it. Language service providers such as Boostlingo are here to help with the upcoming trends. For more information visit www.boostlingo.com