An evolving interpreter training model: Research insights and interpreting competencies

Significant progress has been made over the past ten years to increase the availability of health care interpreter training programs across the nation. The current model is predominantly a forty-hour training delivered in English to multiple language groups, combined with language-specific small group, simulated interpreting practice sessions. In this model, training participants demonstrate an increase in their knowledge about standards of practice, interpreting protocols, cultural sensitivity, and medical terminology. At the end of the training, written post-tests confirm that participants increase their knowledge about how an interpreter should behave professionally. Today, more health care organizations are encouraging or requiring increasing numbers of dedicated interpreters and dual role bilingual staff to attend interpreter training programs. In addition, most training programs have begun to require training candidates to pass language proficiency assessments prior to acceptance into training. This has been a positive change; it helps trainers identify individuals with higher levels of bilingual fluency which is the most basic pre-requisite for developing interpreting ability.
Health care providers and administrators have begun to ask if training programs have evaluation data to demonstrate that participants are more competent interpreters after training. It has been difficult to objectively measure improvement in interpreting competencies after the forty hour training. To improve interpreting abilities, a few health care interpreting training programs have begun to develop a new training model based on empirical research. Multiple disciplines including interpreting pedagogy, social psychology, cultural anthropology, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics to just name a few are contributing to the body of knowledge regarding developing “how to interpret” skills and measuring interpreting competencies. This has led to the creation of new training modules and to the redesign of curriculum to build the interpreting abilities of bilingual participants.
Today, there is an incredible opportunity to use knowledge from multiple disciplines to guide the training and practice of heath care interpreters. This intensive training will synthesize and highlight relevant research to support the evolving field of health care interpreting and facilitate small group discussions. It will provide interactive exercises demonstrating interpreting competencies linked to the cognitive abilities such as anticipation, listening comprehension, oral text analysis, retention, paraphrasing, and culturally meaningful message conversion. The training will present ways to incorporate cognitive skill development into existing training curricula.
Trainers using the new modules have observed and documented increase in cognitive skill development and interpreting competencies after implementing new training modules.  The biggest challenge facing interpreter trainers is limited structured practice time to fully develop interpreting competencies in the 40 - 60 hour training programs. This has been addressed by working with local community college to implement a 300 hour interpreter training certificate program.  It is helpful for trainers to be exposed to existing and new research. Take-home materials will include a synthesis of research that can serve as reference for them in training. Sample activities in the new training modules will be demonstrated and shared with participants. These can be easily implemented in interpreter and staff development trainings.