Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators Ineke H.M. Crezee Auckland University of Technology with illustrations by Jenny Jiang with contributions by Maureen Kearney, Dana Lui and Dr. Linda Hand John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam / Philadelphia TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of 8 the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984. “Nothing in this book should be construed as personal advice or diagnosis, and must not be used in this manner. The information provided about conditions is general in nature. This information does not cover all possible uses, actions, precautions, side-effects, or interactions of medicines, or medical procedures. The information in this book should not be considered as complete and does not cover all diseases, ailments, physical conditions, or their treatment. Any decision regarding treatment and medication for medical conditions should be made with the advice and consultation of a qualified health care professional.” Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Crezee, Ineke. Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators / Ineke H.M. Crezee ; with illustrations by Jenny Jiang ; with contributions by Maureen Kearney, Dana Lui, and Dr. Linda Hand. pages cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Medicine-Translating. 2. Health facilities--Translating services. 3. Translating and interpreting. I. Kearney, Maureen. II. Lui, Dana. III. Hand, Linda. IV. Title. R119.5.C74 2013 362.1--dc23 2013021516 ISBN 978 90 272 1205 4 (Hb; alk. paper) / ISBN 978 90 272 1206 1 (Pb; alk. paper) ISBN 978 90 272 7150 1 (Eb) © 2013 – John Benjamins B.V. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher. John Benjamins Publishing Company • P.O. Box 36224 • 1020 me Amsterdam • The Netherlands John Benjamins North America • P.O. Box 27519 • Philadelphia PA 19118-0519 • USA Table of contents Table of illustrations xv List of tables xvii Author’s notes xix Acknowledgments xxiii Foreword xxv part i. Interpreting chapter 1 Introduction 3 1. How to use this book 3 2. Development of the interpreting profession 4 3. The demand for interpreters around the world 4 4. Health interpreting studies 6 5. Teaching healthcare interpreting 7 chapter 2 Interpreting in healthcare settings 11 1. Interpreting in healthcare settings 11 2. Different healthcare systems 11 3. Accuracy 12 4. Understanding common responses to bad news 15 5. Cultural liaison 17 6. Interpreters’ Codes of Ethics 18 7. Duty of Care 20 8. Triangle of communication 20 9. Note-taking 21 10. Terminology 21 vi Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators chapter 3 A word about culture 23 1. Culture 23 2. Cultural influence on spoken communication 23 3. Implications for interpreting 25 4. Culture and health 26 5. Cultural beliefs pertaining to health and their implications for the interpreter 26 5.1 Sickness and disease (or medical condition) 27 5.2 Patient behaviour 27 5.3 Cultural attitudes towards pain 28 5.4 Causes of sickness 28 5.5 Diets in sickness and health 29 5.6 The role of the interpreter as a Cultural Liaison 29 chapter 4 Medical terminology 33 1. History of medical terminology in the Western world 33 2. Spelling and pronunciation 34 3. Latin and Greek elements in medical terms 34 4. Common combinations 35 4.1 Common word roots 35 4.2 Common procedure nouns and verbs 36 5. Common prefixes 37 6. Suffixes 39 part ii. Interpreting in healthcare settings chapter 5 Primary physicians and General Practitioners 43 1. Primary care providers 43 2. History taking 44 3. Pain 45 4. New patients 45 5. Physical examination 48 6. Tests 49 7. Immunization schedule 50 8. Health education 50 9. Referrals 50 10. Some notes for interpreters and translators 51 Table of contents vii chapter 6 Outpatient Clinics and specialist clinics 53 1. Outpatient Clinics 54 2. Staff at the outpatients or specialist clinics 55 3. Procedure at outpatients Clinics or specialist clinics 55 4. Some notes for interpreters and translators 56 chapter 7 Hospitals 59 1. The isolation of the sick 59 2. The medico-scientific approach 60 3. The patient-oriented approach 60 4. Hospital staff 61 5. Nursing staff 61 6. Medical staff 62 7. Specialists 62 8. Other hospital staff 63 9. Other healthcare staff 63 10. Hospital procedures 64 11. Admissions 64 11.1 Types – acute and booked 64 12 Admission process 65 13. Most important rooms (from the patient’s perspective) 66 14. Discharge 67 15. Rehabilition 68 16. Health professionals 68 17. Physical therapy 69 18. Occupational therapy 69 19. Some notes for interpreters and translators 70 chapter 8 Emergency Departments or ERs 71 1. Emergency Department staff 72 2. Emergency Department areas 73 3. Emergency Department admission 74 4. Some common reasons for admission to ED 75 4.1 Common medical problems 75 4.2 Accidents 83 4.3 Surgical problems 87 viii Introduction to Healthcare for Interpreters and Translators chapter 9 Informed consent 89 1. Issues which might arise for interpreters during the Informed Consent process 90 chapter 10 Pre-operative and post-operative procedures 93 chapter 11 Intensive Care 101 1. Staff 105 2. Some notes for interpreters and translators 105 chapter 12 Obstetrics 107 1. Prenatal care 108 2. Follow-up visits 109 3. Term of pregnancy 110 4. Labor and childbirth 111 5. Common terminology 112 6. Postnatal care 113 7. Postnatal checks 114 chapter 13 Child health 117 1. Neonatal Care 117 1.1 Neonate Care 117 1.2 Asphyxia 118 1.3 Premature delivery 119 1.4 Problems of prematurity 120 1.5 Admission process 124 1.6 Some common investigations 125 2. Pediatrics 126 2.1 Child health professionals 127 2.2 Immunization 127 2.3 Common childhood health problems 128 chapter 14 Speech Language Therapy 139 1. Common terminology 139 2. Communication disorders 140 3. Assessment 140 Table of contents ix 4. Therapy 141 5. Some notes for interpreters and translators 141 chapter 15 Mental health 145 1. Latin and Greek roots 146 2. Briefing and debriefing 146 3. Behaviors and their implications for the interpreter 147 4. Some mental health professionals 148 5. Some common therapeutic approaches 148 6. Common reasons for counseling 149 7. Some commonly used pharmaceutical drugs 149 8. Mental illness 149 9. Some mental health disorders 150 chapter 16 Oncology 155 1. Cancer 155 2. Investigations 156 3. Diagnosis – Typing and staging 157 4. Treatment 158 5. Common forms of cancer 159 6. Some notes for interpreters and translators 163 part iii. Healthcare specialties chapter 17 Neurology: Nerves and the nervous system 167 1. Latin and Greek roots 167 2. Anatomy of the CNS 168 2.1 The brain 168 2.2 The spinal cord 168 3. Function of the CNS 169 4. Health professionals 170 5. Disorders of the nervous system 170 6. Some common drugs 177 7. Some common investigations 177 chapter 18 Cardiology: Heart and the circulatory system 179 1. Latin and Greek roots 179 2. Anatomy of the heart 180