FAQs
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NEP: Non English Proficient
LEP: Limited English Proficient
| Independently Contracted Interpreter |
Employed Interpreter |
| Client has limited control over the contractor’s work |
Means of work controlled by employer |
| Contractor provides their own tools |
Tools provided by employer |
| Contractor holds a verifiable license from a bona fide professional accrediting body (CSLB, BRN, PTBC) |
Trained and prepared by employer, no licensing required. |
| Contractor sets pay rates and work policies |
Employer sets pay rates and protocol |
| Contractor is personally accountable for customer |
Employee is held accountable by their supervisor |
| Contractor can send someone in their stead to perform their work |
Assigned employee must complete task, no substitutes allowed |
| Contractor arrives and completes task on his personal schedule |
Employee does not control schedule and completes tasks according to deadlines |
| Contractor has a dedicated office with business cards, commercial bank account and company website |
Employee’s primary source of income derived from employer, no need for a home office |
| Works on a project-to-project basis |
Completes continuing tasks from the same stream of business |
| Meetings are not required |
Mandatory attendance at meetings |
| Reporting (i.e. time keeping) is not required |
“Checking in” with a supervisor from start to finish implies employee supervision |
| Business does not rely on contractor’s work |
Work is central to the core service/purpose of the company |
| Contractor does not need a supervisor to instruct them how to complete an assignment |
Employees need continual training and quality control |
Translation is the conversion of a written text into a written text in a second language, whereas Interpreting is the spoken form of converting one language into another.
An interpreter's work happens in the moment and most often in-person, where there is little time to look up dictionary translations. The objective of the professional interpreter is for the complete transfer of the thought behind what is spoken in one language into a second language. Listening, visual observation, a fantastic short-term memory, and a large mental reservoir of vocabulary are critical skill sets for the interpreter.
Being verbally fluent in another language does not necessarily mean that the same individual can write correctly and clearly in that language. A translator's work is solitary, with time budgeted into the process to examine dictionary translations and make judgments about the best way to convey the message. S/he are familiar with idiomatic expressions specific to the audience. This process is called localization, and takes into consideration a reader's educational, social, and cultural background.
Currently there is no 1-click solution to translate one language into another. Although there are a variety of off-the-shelf consumer software products that claim to translate correctly, the truth is that language is a particularly difficult, high level function of the human brain. To date, there is no technological solution for accurately capturing meaning in one language and conveying the meaning into a “perfect translation.” Many consumer translation software programs merely translate literally, and create translations that have glaring errors in semantics, syntax and grammar.
Translation is as much a social science as a linguistic process. Localizing a Spanish translation to the vernacular of an agricultural worker versus a white collar readership from separate countries in Latin America requires a grasp of the cultural nuances and idiomatic expressions that capture's a reader's attention, and accurately and completely convey the meaning, tone and intent of the written communication.
Human linguistic capabilities represent one of the more evolved and complicated functions our brain is capable of, and as such, interpreting and translating is one of the highest functions our brains perform. Even today's fastest supercomputers cannot capture the rich intricacies of language interpreting and translation.
As the interpreting profession evolves and develops into a recognized and important contributor to the healthcare industry, proficiency speaking a foreign language is really merely the starting point of the healthcare Interpreters professional development. Much like the ability to read legal books does not automatically mean a person can practice law, the healthcare interpreter must have adequate training to effectively serve as the vital linguistic and cultural link to the limited English proficient patient. The professional must begin their career with a firm grasp of medical terminology, human organs and systems, their functions, how major diseases affect the body, as well as a general understanding of how medical groups, HMO's, hospitals and clinics manage their patients.
Apart from bilingual competency, a Healthcare Interpreter must learn: how to address both patient and provider, where to sit, when to interrupt if necessary, fully understand and comply with HIPAA regulations and confidentiality issues, to employ professional boundaries, to tailor their interpreting to the circumstance and to manage pre-appointment protocols. These and many other skills are now recognized as the requisite knowledge base necessary for best business practices in our field.
Language World Interpreters are linguistically tested in English and their language(s) of service, background checked and cleared for healthcare provider screening. Educational requirements include: an introductory interpreting course in the classroom, completion of a field mentorship, and fulfillment of annual continuing education. Interpreters also receive training specifically regarding HIPAA regulations and safety training for conducting work in hospitals, clinics and in homes while on home health assignments.
A Source Language is the language used by the speaker, or the written language a document is written in that will be interpreted or translated into another language. A Target language is the language of the listener, or the objective of a translation.
Consecutive Interpreting: Most widely used in healthcare and community interpreting settings, Consecutive Interpreting involves relaying converted (interpreted) messages in a sequential manner after a speaker has paused or has completed a thought.
Simultaneous Interpreting: Simultaneous Interpreting involves converting a speaker’s message into another language while the speaker continues to speak. This type of interpreting is commonly used in conference and classroom settings.
Chuchotage or Whispered Interpreting: Chuchotage or whispered interpreting is a form of simultaneous interpreting for which no interpreting equipment is required. This type of interpreting requires that an Interpreter position themselves near to their target listener and whispers the speaker’s message. Chuchotage is used during classes or conferences when there are only 1-2 persons in need of interpreting services.
Sight Translation: An interpreter reads a document written in the source language and interprets it into a second language.
American Sign Language: ( excerpted from the National Association of the Deaf located at : http://www.nad.org )
…”Sign language is a visual language. This means that the brain processes linguistic information through the eyes instead of ears. It also means that facial expressions and body movements play an important part in conveying information. It is possible to sign without using facial or body expressions, but doing so may give a mixed message and may confuse your deaf listeners. It will also look odd or unnatural.
Sign language by itself is not a universal language -- each country has their own sign language, much like the thousands of languages spoken by hearing people all over the world. Like any spoken language, American Sign Language (ASL) is a living language with its own rules of grammar. Like all verbal languages, ASL grows and changes over time to accommodate the needs of its native users. If you were to travel to another state and had an opportunity to speak with a deaf person of that state, you may even notice that s/he will do some signs differently from you. These signs are known as "regional" signs, and you can think of them as the equivalent of "accent". It does not mean that deaf people in your state are signing their signs incorrectly, as opposed to those used by deaf people in another state. It is just a normal variation in ASL, and such regional signs add flavor to your understanding of ASL. It is important to remember that when you discover there is no sign for a word, it does not mean you can invent or make up a new sign.”
Healthcare Interpreters / Community Interpreters: A healthcare interpreter is an individual who has been trained in healthcare interpreting, adheres to a professional code of ethics and protocols for the profession, is knowledgeable about medical terminology, and can accurately and completely render communication from one language to another. Minor children are not considered appropriate to serve as interpreters because they lack the training, skills and competencies.
Generally speaking healthcare and community interpreters utilize the consecutive mode of interpreting. Typical assignments can take place in hospitals, outpatient clinics, private medical practices, schools, community centers, and government offices.
Mental Health Interpreters: Cultural beliefs and values play a very important role on the perceptions and perspectives of mental illnesses and mental health problems, which directly impacts the idioms of distress used by the patient to label the illness or symptoms. Mental Health Interpreters apart from upholding the same ethical standards of impartiality, confidentiality, transparency, professional boundaries (and more) of the healthcare interpreter, must also provide significant assistance as a cultural clarifier for the provider. Other core competencies of the Mental Health Interpreter include a significant understanding of the language and treatment protocols of our mental health systems. Typical assignments the Mental Health Interpreter performs in the in-patient or out-patient settings include: Domestic abuse, substance abuse, mood, anxiety, thought, personality and adjustment disorders. Another part of serving specific refugee populations as a mental health interpreter is helping patients deal with the real effects of residual trauma experienced in their home countries during violent social upheavals that have displaced so many thousands throughout the world.
Conference Interpreters: Conference Interpreters enable all members of a formal meeting or conference to follow and contribute to the proceedings in their respective languages. Conference Interpreters generally perform simultaneous interpreting and utilize microphones and headphones. In purpose-built venues, there are typically sound-proof booths from which the Interpreters can operate with minimal distraction. This is a very intensive form of interpreting and Interpreters must break at regular intervals.
Court/Legal Interpreters: Court-Certified or Legal Interpreters are utilized in civil and criminal legal proceedings. Their ability to interpret complex legal procedures and vocabulary, without changing the speaker’s legal register, is crucial. Typically, they interpret for a witness or defendant who speaks for a limited or non-English proficient speaker while also representing legal professionals. Court Interpreters may appear at an arraignment, motion, pretrial conference, preliminary hearing, deposition or trial. They may also be asked to conduct sight translation for legal documents.
In California, there are presently 13 languages for which you can become legally certified.
General Business Interpreters: These types of Interpreters manage communication flows between businesses and their clients as well as business to business negotiations. Their knowledge is broadly founded in business terminology, but many have specific industries in which they work. Demand for these types of individuals is expanding with increased globalization in the marketplace.
Delegation Interpreters: Typically these are highly skilled Interpreters that accompany a visiting delegation of foreign dignitaries for their official business as well as social engagements that usually occur during such visits. Delegation Interpreters may be asked to accompany a group during their entire stay in the host locale (often resulting in a 10 to 14 hour work day), as well as be asked to help with overall destination management services in the Target Language.
Ad Hoc Interpreters: Generally speaking, untrained individuals drafted into service at the spur of the moment due to an immediate need to communicate with a limited English proficient speaker. Many times, Ad Hoc Interpreters are family members or even children of limited English speakers.
Governmental – Military, Intelligence, United Nations, Foreign Service: Highly skilled career Interpreters that serve in all aspects of government work, whether it be on the battlefield, at a state dinner, during official meetings of the United Nations, or for major national intelligence services. These Interpreters operate at the highest levels of the profession and often have advanced education and training as well as security clearances necessary to perform their duties.
Language access services are broadly addressed at the federal level. Under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, state, local, or regional entities receiving federal funds may not discriminate based on race, color, or national origin. In 2000, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, which extends “meaningful” language access requirements of Title VI to federal agencies and federally funded programs and services.
