If someone were to ask you "What is the 'due date'?", what does that phrase mean to you?

• Is it when your baby will be born?
• Or when your next loan payment is 'due'?
• Or perhaps when your upcoming appointment is set for?

Unless you know what the term "due date" is referring to, you can only guess.

And that's just the problem you can avoid as you begin your next call with a Language Line Services interpreter.

The Case for Briefing Your Interpreter

Ever read our newsletter's most popular article, "11 Tips on Effectively Working with an Interpreter"? Do you recall the first tip? That's right, "Brief the Interpreter".

If you had been "briefed" on the meaning of "due date" in the case above, you would have answered the question right away, without wondering if it involved babies, payments or appointments.

So, what do we mean by briefing an over-the-phone interpreter?

By briefing, we mean for you as the caller to:

• Introduce yourself and identify your organization
• Briefly explain the nature of, or reason for, your call
• Summarize what you want to accomplish
• Provide the interpreter with any special instructions, and
• Take the lead in the conversation (Remember, professional interpreters are trained to follow your directions).

For example:

• Introduce yourself by saying: "This is Sandy from Overland Maternity Clinic"
• Briefly explain the reason for the call: "I have a pregnant Cantonese-speaking woman, Mrs. Chan, on the phone who is a week or so from having her baby"
• Summarize what you want to accomplish by saying something like: "I need to give her directions on what she should do when she gets close to delivering"
• If necessary, provide the interpreter with any special instructions: "Please ask her to get the medications she is taking, and pen and paper so she can write down a list of instructions"
• Then, take the lead in the conversation: "Interpreter, first ask Mrs. Chan if ___"

Why "briefing" your interpreter is so important

When you do the briefing right at the start, you provide the interpreter the general context, or subject matter, of the call. You also lessen the chance of a misunderstanding between you, the interpreter and the limited English speaking person you want to help.

Just as importantly, if you want the interpreter to make an out-going call to your patient, you need to request such a "dial-out" within the first two minutes of the call.

Though taking the time to do such a briefing may seem like it will increase the overall length, and cost, of the call, the exact opposite is true.

It will actually help avoid confusion later on in the conversation, thus making the call effective and efficient for the most important person on the call, your limited English-speaking patient.

Ensure a Perfect Start to Your Interpretation

Remember that limited English-speaking patients from other cultures often prove to be the most loyal your organization will ever have. By deciding to communicate with them in their own languages, you have shown that you value them, and their patronage.

So, each time you call for a Language Line Services interpreter, make sure you provide the tools and information he or she needs to serve your patient most effectively.

A quick briefing at the start of the call will ensure a great interpreter experience for you and your patient!

Did you find this article useful? Please forward it to your colleagues.

If you are an interpreter, tell us the value of briefing at the start of an interpretation.

And, if you're not already a subscriber to "In Other Words", complete the brief form here and immediately download your own copy of Language Line Services' "11 Tips on Effectively Working with an Interpreter".

In observance of World AIDS Day (December 1, 2007) -

Language Line Services has announced the introduction of the "Relating in Red" AIDS awareness dual-handset phone program.

As part of this fund raising program for HIV/AIDS awareness, health care providers will be able to order a red version of the popular Language Line Phone, a unique, quick-dial, dual-handset communication tool used to facilitate three-way communications between medical providers, limited English speaking patients and interpreters.

Proceeds from the order of "Relating in Red" phones will benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and AIDS Education Global Information System (AEGiS).

Further details regarding the new AIDS Awareness "Relating in Red" phones

Order the new AIDS Awareness phones here

Nearly all Hispanic adults born in the United States of immigrant parents report they are fluent in English.

By contrast, only a small minority of their parents describe themselves as skilled English speakers.

This finding of a dramatic increase in English-language ability from one generation of Hispanics to the next emerges from a new analysis of six Pew Hispanic Center surveys conducted this decade among a total of more than 14,000 Latino adults.

The surveys show that fewer than one-in-four (23%) Latino immigrants reports being able to speak English very well. However, fully 88% of their U.S.-born adult children report that they speak English very well.

Among later generations of Hispanic adults, the figure rises to 94%. Reading ability in English shows a similar trend.

Here are complete findings of the Pew Hispanic Center's "English Usage Among Hispanics in the United States"

The Center for Patient Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has produced a new Hmong-language DVD with English subtitles.

Body and Spirit, Healing Your Way, is an 18-minute video that explores holistic health and healing, featuring interviews with Hmong-American individuals with distinct perspectives: shaman, nurse, patient, young adult, elder.

They talk about the need to exercise, eat healthy foods, and maintain a regular schedule of check-ups with healthcare professionals.

At the same time, they discuss how they have integrated their traditional beliefs and practices with the good things that the US medical system has to offer.

You can preview the video or order a copy here.

Editors Note: The Hmong (pronounced mung) in the United States are mainly from Laos, where they are considered an ethnic minority group, one of several groups that have traditionally lived in the highland areas of the country.

Approximately 315,000 are still in Laos. Several million Hmong also live in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Burma.

States with the largest number of Hmong immigrants are California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, North Carolina and Michigan.

Image: Hmong Needlework: Traditions Both Ancient and New

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