Category Archives: Minors

by monzo

Traducción y oncología: la medicina gráfica como puente comunicativo hacia los más pequeños

Sandra Gallego López

La inclusión del enfermo en el acto médico resulta trascendental para cumplir con eficacia el cometido principal de la medicina: garantizar el bienestar público. Sin embargo, en numerosas ocasiones se producen fallos de comprensión y afinidad entre médico y paciente que dificultan la comunicación entre ambos y, por lo tanto, la consecución del objetivo anterior. A ello se añade el elevado nivel de complejidad por el que se caracterizan los textos biosanitarios, que a menudo se redactan sin considerar los rasgos y necesidades lingüísticas del paciente. En el caso del sector pediátrico, es decir, todos aquellos pacientes de entre 0 y 18 años, la situación se agrava aún más. Durante décadas, los menores se han mantenido al margen de la práctica clínica, ya que apenas se les ha permitido adoptar un papel activo en cuestiones de salud. En su lugar, han sido los progenitores los responsables que, como intermediarios, han tomado las riendas del proceso sanitario. También a nivel comunicativo han quedado relegados a un segundo plano, pues en la actualidad la inmensa mayoría del contenido biosanitario está dirigido a un público más adulto y maduro.
Con el fin de cerrar esta brecha, surge la medicina gráfica, que se constituye como un puente entre el médico y el paciente. A través de ella, el uso de estímulos visuales y estrategias de desterminologización ponen a disposición del paciente información fiable, legible y acorde a su propia naturaleza. Los menores logran así ocupar la posición que, en su caso, les corresponde como protagonistas del acto sanitario.
En nuestra ponencia nos dispondremos no solo a exponer con mayor precisión las circunstancias anteriormente descritas, sino además a mostrar un caso práctico de una rama de conocimiento específica: la oncología pediátrica.

Palabras clave: paciente pediátrico, medicina gráfica, oncología, desterminologización.

by monzo

Interpreting for Children in Legal Settings: What research tells us

Eddie López-Pelén

Article 40, paragraph 2 (b) (vii) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that in the administration of juvenile justice children have the right to free assistance of an interpreter whenever they do not understand or speak the language used in the proceeding. In like manner, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) not only asserts that EU+ States guarantee that children have access to an interpreter throughout the international protection procedure, but also that interpreters should be trained on interpreting for children. Research on interpreting for children in legal settings shows that interpreters do not always approach children in a child-sensitive fashion (Mathias and Zaal 2002; Keselman et al. 2008; Keselman et al. 2010a; Keselman et al. 2010b; Linell and Keselman 2012) and stakeholders involved in legal proceedings such as legal practitioners, social workers, and interpreters themselves have recognized the need for training on how to work with children (Balogh and Salaets 2015). However, research has yet to find out the rationale behind the interpreters’ approach with children and the extent to which their approach with children is different from their approach with adults. This paper discusses factors behind the decision-making of interpreters when interpreting for children and significant aspects that influence their approach. This presentation draws on semi-structured interviews carried out with legal interpreters who have worked with children in legal proceedings in international protection, police, and court settings.

Keywords: legal interpreters, children, international protection, police stations, courts.

Balogh, Katalin and Heidi Salaets (2015) Children and Justice: Overcoming language barriers, Cambridge, Antwerp and Portland: Intersentia.

Keselman, Olga, Ann-Christin Cederborg, Michael E. Lamb and Örjan Dahlstrom (2008) ‘Mediated Communication with Minors in Asylum-seeking Hearings’, Journal of Refugee Studies, 21(1): 103-116.

Keselman, Olga, Ann-Christin Cederborg, Michael E. Lamb and Örjan Dahlstrom (2010a) ‘Asylum-seeking minors in interpreter-mediated interviews: What do they say and what happens to their responses?’, Child and Family Social Work, 15(3): 325-334.

Keselman, Olga, Ann-Christin Cederborg and Per Linell (2010b) ‘“That’s is not necessary for you to know!”: Negotiation of participation status of unaccompanied children in interpreter-mediated asylum hearings’, Interpreting, 12(1): 83-104.

Linell, Per and Olga Keselman (2012) ‘Trustworthiness at stake: Trust and distrust in investigative interviews with Russian adolescent asylum-seekers in Sweden’, in Ivana Marková and Alex Gillespie (eds) Trust and Conflict, Culture and Dialogue, London and New York: Routledge, 156-180.

Matthias, Carmel and Z. Zaal (2002) ‘Hearing Only a Faint Echo? Interpreters and children in court’, South African Journal on Human Rights, 18 (3): 350-371.

by monzo

Language Access Equity and Inclusion in Pediatric Interpreted Medical Encounters

Amy Olen, PhD; Paulina S. Lim, MS; Charles «Barry» Rothschild, MD

Research has documented the prevalence of health disparities between non-English speakers and English speakers in the United States. To address disparities, medical interpreters bridge the language gap between medical treating teams and patients and their families receiving medical services. Studies demonstrate the positive impacts of language access services on reducing language-related health disparities. However, little is known about encounter-level factors that promote or inhibit equitable language access in interpreted medical encounters (IME). 

In this presentation, we draw from qualitative interviews with 13 medical interpreters and 37 providers (physicians, nurse practitioners) in a medium-size pediatric hospital in the United States to explore perspectives on behaviors and attitudes that facilitate, or create barriers to, effective communication and language access in IME.

Interpreters noted they feel like outsiders with regard to medical care teams and believe that providers experience negative emotions related to the additional time commitment required for IME. Interpreters often perceive microaggressions toward patients and families and reported “absorbing” these provider attitudes to protect patients and families. Physician perspectives largely corroborated that they feel IME are “tricky,” “time-consuming,” and “frustrating.”  Further, physicians identified inequity of information sharing for IME, acknowledging both less frequent communications and large boluses of information to “take advantage of the fact that the interpreter is there.” A minority of providers saw IME as an opportunity to improve cultural understanding and equity of care.

The interview data suggests that language use biases regarding IME and within IME prevent equitable language access despite language services provision. Simply providing interpreting services is insufficient for attaining equitable, inclusive health communication and healthcare provision, and positive health outcomes. We identify opportunities for interpreters and in-hospital language services allies (e.g., physicians, psychologists), to advocate for and educate treating teams on language access equity and inclusion, not only in language services provision, but also within and during IME themselves.

Keywords: Language Access, Equitable Language Access, Inclusive Language Access, Interpreted Medical Encounters, Medical Interpreting.

by monzo

Linguistic injustice despite language rights. Raising awareness on language barriers for vulnerable groups in legal settings in Belgium: minors as a case

Katalin Balogh and Heidi Salaets

The right to an interpreter is part and parcel of the roadmap for strengthening procedural rights of suspected or accused persons in criminal proceedings. Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal proceedings has sought to lay down common minimal rules on this fair trial right. Arguably, the directive could be seen as a push towards the institutionalisation of interpreting and the professionalisation of interpreters in criminal proceedings.

Assuming that vulnerability means a suspect’s or accused’s difficulty in understanding or following the content or the meaning of the proceedings, the interpreter could be seen as the gateway to facilitate such understanding.

Moreover, the 2012/29/EU establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, even more so if the victim is a child.

In our presentation, we wish to outline our research on foreign language  (FL) speaking minors. Next to FL-speaking minors involved in criminal proceedings (as victims or suspects), the cases presented will also consider FL-speaking (non-accompanied) minors involved in asylum procedures in Belgium.

We will critically reflect on the (lack of) underlying assumptions and definitions as to what that role of the interpreter is, in particular in light of the vulnerability of FL-speaking minors. We will elucidate and build our reflections on the basis of empirical research that sought to clarify the perspectives of the different actors involved in interpreter-mediated interaction in the legal sphere. What is new is that we will specifically consider the minors’ viewpoints: through interviews with vulnerable minors, we will illustrate their view on the interpreter’s role and competences. By listening to the minors’ voices, we definitely respond to their need to the right to participation, as described in article 12 of the CRC (Child Rights Convention) of the UN.

Keywords: criminal proceedings, legal interpreting, minors, vulnerability, code of ethics, role and competences, fair trial.