IMIA stands for the International Medical Interpreters Association, based in the United States. The purpose of the association, which was founded in 1986, and has now over two thousand members, is to provide advances to the medical interpreting profession.
The population of the United States is getting ever more diverse. With the US having one of the largest healthcare systems in the world, there is a growing need for trained medical interpreters.
Errors in medical interpreting for LEPs or Limited English Proficient persons can result in lawsuits against health care providers. Around half of the errors made by medical interpreters fall into the category of omission. It is important to remember that the code of ethics for medical interpreters include interpreting the information accurately and completely.
I learned the reasons why a professional medical interpreting service is essential, based on a comparison between a non-trained interpreter and a trained medical interpreter at work.
Everything said must be interpreted, and the interpreter has a legal obligation to expose a patient in case they express an intention of hurting themselves or others.
US healthcare facilities stress the importance of having a standard practice for medical interpreters nationwide. Learn the paramount know-how with MiTio.
What is a Medical Interpreting Practice Session like? Here are my notes from medical interpreting practice sessions for MiTio students enrolled in the Medical Interpreting Diploma Program.
To learn more about the code of conduct for medical interpreters in the US, check the online MiTio Medical Interpreter Certificate Course.
ATIF hosts the ATA certification exam in Miami on a regular basis, once or twice a year.
It is unrealistic to expect bilingual colleagues in a healthcare facility to be able to interpret accurately and completely the information provided during an interaction if they are not properly trained to acquire this competence.
