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LSC Attends 1st Mid-Atlantic Medical Interpreters Meeting

This past Saturday, October 1st, LSC attended the 1st Mid-Atlantic Medical Interpreters Meeting at Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE. The event brought about 50 medical interpreters together from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland for a program that included topics such as, “Ethical Challenges for Medical Interpreters” and “Latest Developments in the National Certification Process for Medical Interpreters.” It was an all-day session with 5 different topics and speakers. The format allowed for engaging question and answer sessions after each presentation. This resulted in a fast-paced and highly informative day.

LSC attendee, Eddie Papaj, felt that the program was invaluable and adds, “Besides the event being well- organized, the topics were unique and quite different from other language services events I’ve attended to date.  It was a great feeling to see some familiar faces in the interpreter group, and equally gratifying to meet new and enthusiastic members of the interpreting profession, many of whom we plan to bring on board with LSC. Of all the sessions I attended, I was most impressed by the statistics given from one of the keynote speakers, Dr. Glenn Flores, M.D. He presented a meta-analysis comparison that measured errors made in hospital settings when using qualified interpreters vs. ad hoc interpreters (bilingual family members, friends etc.).  The data showed that in several extreme cases, the interpretation errors that were made by the ad hoc interpreters contributed to causing the deaths of several families’ relatives. This was both shocking and disturbing to me.”

Most importantly, this type of analysis and research emphasizes the importance of the language industry’s (including LSC’s) dedication to using only qualified, trained, and experienced medical interpreters.

This was the first year of the Mid-Atlantic Medical Interpreters Meeting. We look forward to attending again next year.

     
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