Public Service Interpreting Shouldn't Include Your Family

Public service interpreting work occurs wherever individuals connect with their communities. Their "office building" is any public space in that community. Officially, public service interpreters facilitate conversation between Limited English Proficient (LEP) people and the public institutions from which they require services, skills or information. Such institutions can include public libraries, local courtrooms or public schools and anything in between. Unofficially, they use their skills to help LEP individuals- or those with disabilities- to receive accurate information and access essential services from public institutions.

For these client populations, family members are often present at your public service interpreting appointments- usually to provide emotional support for your client. Which is a reasonable thing to expect, and is relatable on a basic human level to want support... as long as that is where the family member's role begins and ends. Because for this clientele specifically, family members often double as interpreters. People with no language interpreting training experience. Which can present some problems of it's own...

Public service interpreting appointments: 3 reasons why family members aren't providing a "public service"

According to the 2017 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services survey, 40% of healthcare providers ask family members to interpret. Although it is convenient, that's just about all the Net-positive reasons to have a loved one provide language interpreting services. Here's some of the biggest risks that are taken when family members stand-in as interpreters...

1. Family likely doesn't have public service interpreting training

Educational and public service interpreting is a course for a reason. Introducing students to complex systems of public institutions (like Child and Family Services, public schools etc) is only the beginning. Because you must have a basic understanding of the context within which you are interpreting. You need to understand the hyper-specific terminology used in these professions in both English and your target language in order to be successful in high-stakes scenarios.

You must understand your role as a professional public service language interpreter, and the ethical limitations that exist for all interpreters. All of this and more is taught by seasoned & expert professionals over 45 hours, that spans 7 weeks. We are confident that your family doesn't have this level of technique that professional language interpreting training requires.

**2. Family cannot be impartial**

People don't ask strangers to provide emotional support. You wouldn't ask a stranger to sit in a hospital waiting room for several hours. You know what we DO ask of strangers all the time? To remain impartial. That's why criminal trials don't allow witnesses or victims of similar crimes onto juries. Strangers are asked for their unbiased opinions because humans are emotional creatures. It is irresponsible and almost impossible to ask a loved one to make a logical judgement when they are emotionally invested in a particular outcome.

Especially during high-stakes situations where you need accurate information, it can be dangerous to ask family to be your language interpreter. A loved one could talk for the patient rather than interpret verbatim what was said. Or they might embellish, or provide far more detail than necessary because of what they view important. They could even dominate the conversation, or plan an entire treatment plan based on their opinion without asking for patient input. Allowing a third party with language interpreting training experience reduces patient harm & misunderstandings by 70%.

3. Family could be doing more harm than good

"Family members are often present at your public service interpreting appointments- usually to provide emotional support for your client."

The important part of this earlier statement is 'usually.' Family usually provides emotional support for your client... but not always. Because you just don't know what the relationship dynamic is, or what the Spillover Effects are. To simplify a complex theory: Spillover Effects refer to the positive or negative- but most often negative - experienced impact, that stem from an entirely separate event.

Over the years, researchers have conducted numerous studies involving the quality of patient care, their loved ones and spillover effects. All of this is to say, it is unfair to everyone by asking family to be anything else. Spillover effects can change your client's quality of life, emotional well-being and even physical health or safety. Because we never truly know the reality of other people's relationships are, or what goes on behind closed doors. So just let family remain family, and leave the rest up to public service interpreting professionals who have completed professional language interpreting training.

Our online translator classes are taught by expert instructors ✅ who have real-world experience in their interpreting training specialty. They have worked hard to make fully remote online courses that are unique and engaging ✅ using a hands-on approach that is unparalleled by the competition. If you or someone you know is interested in our online Medical Interpreter Training Programs with live instruction✅, our fully remote yet real time classes ✅ are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Somali, Urdu, Ukrainian languages online and onsite.