Interpreting for Brain Death Situations

Brain Dead, what does it mean?
Lack of blood flow to the brain, thus brain does not receive oxygen. If brain does not receive oxygen for approximately four minutes then brain is dead. California law states that patient must have no brain activity in order to be declared brain dead. Furthermore, brain death is irreversible. It is not to be confused with “coma” which is an entirely different medical state which is reversible.

How long can someone be “brain dead” before their body shuts down?
If someone is young and healthy, up to four days; an elderly or sick individual, up to two days or less.

How does this affect Interpreters?
Brain death is a sensitive and difficult concept to explain, especially to non-western cultures. Most available medical literature is not written in a culturally sensitive perspective which may influence the way the medical staff will explain concept to family. This is where the interpreter will act as a cultural clarifier and explain sensitivity to medical staff.

Terms or expressions:
The expression “Vegetable state” should be avoided at all cost. It is equivalent to a racial slur because it is demeaning/comparing a human/human life to a vegetable. The correct expression is “Vegetative state,” however it is a complicated expression which is also discouraged. Medical staff should offer an explanation of what Brain death means instead of simply using unintelligible terms.

Other terms to know:
Durable Power of Attorney
Conservatorship
Advance Directive
Next of Kin

What exams are performed to determine brain death?
Radionuclide
Angiogram
EEG
Neurological exam
Pupil Dilation
Cold Calorics
CT Scan

For Further Information Please See:

http://www.braindeath.org/law/california.htm

Hospital Language Barriers

When a patient initially arrives at an emergency department suffering from a serious illness, a triage nurse must quickly determine a number of things: his illness level, medical history, allergies, etc.

What if the patient does not speak the same language as the medical staff?

Communication is key in all businesses, however it may be a question of life or death when dealing with hospital consent forms, medications, and medical procedures.This anxiety-provoking scenario plays out routinely in hospitals across the United States.

Offering an interpreter service is key to facilitating communication between the medical staff and patient. It is also a patients right to truly understand and consent to medical treatment.

Everyday I see medical staff relying upon untrained "bilingual" individuals with limited knowledge of medical terminology in either the source or target language. By doing this, they are not only offering poor quality health care, but also jeopardizing the life of their patient.

Next Great Immigration Hurdle -- The Right to a Medical Interpreter

The study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research disclosed that those with limited English proficiency are more likely to have problems accessing health care services, and health care providers — whether public or commercial — are not doing enough to ensure quality treatment.

For state agencies, the news underlines the importance of certain changes already being made.


For complete news article please click on title or visit the following website:
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=a2ccf312598b4820d1d0ac25265fc91e

Translation and Interpretation Associations

National Associations
American Literary Translator’s Association
American Translator's Association
National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators
National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare

Local/Regional Associations
California Court Interpreters Association
California Healthcare Interpreting Association
California Workers' Compensation Interpreters Association
Chicago Area Translators and Interpreters Association
Houston Interpreters and Translators Association
New York Circle of Translators

International Associations
Asociación Profesional Española de Traductores e Intérpretes
Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs
International Medical Interpreter's Association
Japan Association of Translators Organización Mexicana de Traductores

Training and Certification

Training Programs
California State University, Long Beach Translation and Interpretation Studies
CSU Fullerton, Legal/Medical Interpreter Certificate Program
CSU Los Angeles, Legal Interpreter Certificate Program
Kent State University, B.S., M.S. Ph.D in Translation Studies
New York University Certificate in Translation
Southern California School of Interpreting
University of Arizona: National Center for Interpretation
University of Massachusetts at Amherst


ASL Interpreter Certification
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf

Court Interpreters Certification
California Courts - Court Interpreters Program (CIP)
Colorado Courts - Court Interpreter Program
Connecticut Judicial Branch - State Court Interpreter Certification (Consortium) Program
Court Interpretation - National Center for State Courts
Delaware Courts - Certified Court Interpreters Program
Federal Courts - Spanish-English Interpreter Certification Examination
Florida State Courts - Court Interpreters Program
Hawaii Courts - New Court Interpreter Certification Program
Indiana Courts - Court Interpreter Certification Program
Iowa Courts - Court Interpreters Program
Maryland Courts - Court Interpreter Program
Michigan Courts - Court Interpreter Certification Test
National Center for Interpretation
National Judiciary Interpreter and Translator Certification (NJITCE)
Nevada Supreme Court - Court Interpreters Program
New Jersey Courts - Becoming a NJ Court Interpreter
North Carolina Courts - Interpreter Training Information
North Dakota Supreme Courts - Court Interpreter Qualifications and Procedures
Oregon Courts - Court Interpreter Certification Program
Pennsylvania - Supreme Court’s Interpreter Certification Program
South Carolina Interpreter Certification Program
Tennessee Courts - Court Interpreter Program
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation - Licensed Court Interpreters Exam
U.S. District Courts - Federal Court Interpreter Program
Virginia Courts - Voluntary Certification Process for Foreign Language Interpreters
Virginia's Courts - Interpreter Certification
Wisconsin Courts - Interpreter Program

Translation Certification
American Translator's Association Certification