Spanish Medical Interpreter

Job Details

• Category:
  Healthcare Support
• Requisition: SPANI
  001121
• Position:
  Full‑Time On‑site
• Location:
  
  Springfield, MA 01103, USA
• Salary/Status:
  Non‑Exempt
• Department:
  Interpreter Services
• Hours:
  
  40 hrs per week

• Associate’s Degree or High School Diploma or equivalent background and experience
• Complete fluency in English and the target language
• Experience in a broad medical field or completion of a medical interpreter training program
• High level of oral and written communication skills in target language and English; ability to prepare effective reports
• Ability to make effective presentations to large groups of people
• Positive interaction with patients, staff personnel, visitors and the general public
• Discretion in handling confidential information
• Ability to work independently, problem‑solve and make sensible decisions for patient well‑being
• Strong organizational skills
• Computer skills: track patient flow, word processing and scheduling patients
• Friendly, reliable, and professional behavior and appearance
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, individuals seeking assistance, and the general public

• Understand a variety of regional accents and linguistic styles for target language
• Choose appropriate mode of interpretation for each situation
• Interpret with highest degree of accuracy and completeness in verbal, sight, and written translation
• Self‑correct, understand own linguistic limitations, seek clarification and accept corrections
• Pick up cues from encounter participants regarding level of understanding and/or need for clarification
• Strong writing skill and understanding of translation process
• Cultural awareness: understand language as an expression of culture, recognize underlying assumptions of each party about medicine, the encounter, illness, etc., use this understanding to empower patient and provider
• Intervene as intercultural mediator when communication is compromised by culture‑bound messages, avoid generalizations and stereotyping, use culturally appropriate behavior, and choose appropriate time to clarify or interject respecting goals of the encounter
• Be aware of own personal values, beliefs, and cultural characteristics that may be a source of conflict or discomfort, be able to acknowledge these, and/or withdraw from encounters when they interfere with successful interpretation
• Explain role of interpreter to patient, providers and other medical staff
• Recognize complexity of clinical encounter and added factor of linguistic barrier, set tone of patient and provider encounter to manage spatial configuration and flow of communication to preserve accuracy and completeness, assess and address potential areas of discomfort
• Encourage and foster direct communication between provider and patient
• Maintain professional distance and integrity, diffuse conflict by remaining calm and impartial, clarify instructions, follow up steps diplomatically and effectively
• Ethical: understand and abide by health center policies on patient confidentiality, informed consent, non‑discrimination and interpreter’s code of ethics and standards of practice
• Advocacy: address concerns raised during or after an encounter by encouraging involved parties to make appropriate referrals to patient navigators or inform managers to address the matter

SEE THE CARING HEALTH CENTER FOR MORE INFORMATION