Lessons on the Job

-

Lessons on the Job


"We're not in the business of creating a community of people with poor quality of life..." 

I look at him and ask myself as I listen, "Where are you going with this, doctor?" At this very moment, I am wearing not only my interpreter thinking hat. I am also activated as a mother.

"The kind who can't talk, and you have to push in a wheelchair."

How am I going to remain focused and neutral so I can render an accurate and faithful translation of his message to this expecting mother? She had inquired about the developmental challenges her baby would face due to his heart condition. Thankfully, they only involved the baby's inability to keep up with his peers when it came to physical exertion. I say "only" not to diminish the pain that this news brought to her. Yet, at least, her baby "wouldn't be part of the community of people with poor quality of life who can't talk and have to be pushed in a wheelchair," like my son.

One of the challenges faced by medical interpreters is interpreting in situations that hit close to home. Interpreting requires attentive and objective listening for a speedy decoding of the message in the target language. Situations which touch the fibers of our heart can either throw us off and impair our performance, or they can sharpen our focus and improve it. During this particular medical encounter and moment, I was pleased with my self-control and the resulting delivery, albeit quite displeased with the doctor. I felt the urge to let him know I happened to have a child like the ones he had condescendingly described, yet I knew my role and its boundaries. I conveyed the message accurately and clearly, those infamous words and the "reassuring" explanation which came next. I managed to "disappear" from the encounter: The provider and the mother spoke directly to each other. The communication flowed smoothly. I did my job well despite the curve ball unintentionally thrown my way.

The answer to my original question of how to maintain focus then is the following: When faced with situations which touch on topics which go against your core beliefs, or which hit close to home, 1) Remember and respect your role and its boundaries. 2) Remember that the best thing you can do for the family is to provide an accurate and clear translation of the message. 3) Remember that the rest is up to them. You are not responsible for the outcome of the doctor-patient interaction unless you fail to do your job properly.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Autorretrato

-
Image
  Autorretrato   Se levanta entre semana a las seis y media a duras penas, porque no le queda de otra, porque se le va a hacer tarde. Se toma la hormona tiroidea como cada día con el estómago vacío y un poco de agua tibia. Se sienta en el rincón destinado a la oración. Intenta, pero le ganan el sueño, los pensamientos y los afanes. “Perdón, Señor”, dice adormilada. Por fin, abre la Biblia y lee un salmo: “Cuídame como a la niña de tus ojos, Protégeme bajo la sombra de tus alas”. Cierra los ojos de nuevo y repite el verso, en una oración apenas susurrada. El tiempo corre. Ni modo. Hay que interrumpir la calma: Se hace tarde y el chiquilín de 17 años sigue dormido. Asume, entonces, el papel de generala y comienza a darle órdenes: “Levántate, apúrate, tómate la medicina”. Lo regaña, pero da el brazo a torcer como casi cada día. Le prepara el desayuno, lo atiende, lo consiente. Así comienza el día esta mujer morena de 52 a
Read more

The Prophet

-
Image
"If you hope to raise baby spiritually or faithfully, the name Daniel may be..."  "That probably didn't work..." interjected Daniel with a mischevous smile as he got out of the car. The interrupted phrase was part of a spiel for the name "Daniel:" Daniel is a baby boy name of Hebrew origin. Meaning "God is my judge," baby may be inspired by this phrase every day...  I had asked Daniel about the meaning of his friend's name. "It's just a name, like mine."  "Well, your name has a meaning related to God," I explained. He looked at me surprised and with suspicion. "Hey, Google what does the name Daniel mean?" Google's friendly female voice answered as stated above. But neither Daniel nor I expected to hear that choosing that name was a great idea if a mother wanted to raise her baby "spiritually." "That probably didn't work..." "Oh, I still have hope that the child who told me
Read more

Is it Love?

-
Image
His concerned eyes were fixed on me for reassurance from the moment we were called in. He looked so small in the dentist's chair, in spite of it being a pediatric office. I stood by him throughout the visit. Once the check-up and cleaning were completed, his little hands explored the toys and trinkets the dental hygenist held in the prize box that day. He was only three years-old, and he had been brave.  We took the elevator down, and to Daniel's delight, we discovered there was a coffee shop on the bottom floor. After such a successful first visit to the dentist, I could not possibly deny him a treat. The coffee shop opened to pretty Centennial Lakes. We took a seat outside, and suddenly Daniel noticed the music coming out of a speaker hidden behind some plants. "Mami, ¿quieres bailar?" He stood up and took me by the hand. There, with a smiling couple as the audience, my little boy led me in a simple dance step right-to-left, left-to-right to the tune of some piece b
Read more