Julia Rusiñol works for Ballad Health and ETSU Health as a medical interpreter/translator, traveling around the region providing a voice for Spanish-speaking patients who cannot speak English. With the arrival of COVID-19 and the pandemic, Rusiñol’s job became more challenging, but also even more relevant to those who needed care during that time.
The road to getting certified as an interpreter is very strenuous: you must not only be entirely fluent in the languages you are interpreting for, but you also must garner at least 40 hours of formal training plus practice before you can take the exam. What I found shocking is that the certification program has only existed for ten years.
There is a distinct difference between interpreting and translating. When interpreting, Rusiñol directly converts the languages as they are spoken orally, and she transmits information live while the conversation is occurring. When translating, Rusiñol converts written English into Spanish or Spanish into English.
When interpreting or translating, it is essential that Rusiñol is conveying exactly what the patient is saying. She told me she used “meaning-based interpreting”, saying the exact same thing in the best way possible to ensure confusion is minimal.
Rusiñol also talked about the importance of “cultural competence”: it is essential for her to understand the various cultures that envelop the Spanish language so she can understand their “expectations when approaching healthcare.” This would be any religious beliefs or cultural practices that would influence a patient’s preferred treatment.
Normally, Rusiñol traveled around to various medical clinics and hospitals, all throughout the Tri-Cities. But in the wake of the pandemic, most of her appointments have been moved online, which made things more complicated.
In the height of the pandemic, Rusiñol wasn’t in-person in the office to ensure the patients could understand the forms and paperwork they are given. To confront this, she translated the forms into Spanish for the patient once they arrived at the office. This added a lot more work to the translating aspect of the job.
Training over the phone or on Zoom was much more difficult. Technical difficulties arose frequently, which can slow down the process and cause confusion. However, the accessibility of telehealth options freed up a lot of her time taken up by traveling. Technology allowed her profession to remain safe during the pandemic, but it did pile on new challenges.
An upside for the interpreting industry is that the pandemic displayed how essential they are to the medical field. Online certifications have began popping up, making it easier to enter the profession and providing continuing education opportunities for currently certified interpreters.
ETSU used to have a healthcare interpreter certificate program, but it was disbanded back in 2015. Rusiñol talked about how, even though she appreciates the accessibility of online programs, the ETSU program would be much more effective since it provides an on-site experience.
The career as an interpreter is multifaceted and underrated in the medical industry. Hopefully, a positive side of the pandemic is that the profession will continue to grow.
As Rusiñol said, “It’s a team effort, and we want to be a part of the healthcare team.”
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