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Interpreter: "So began a most rewarding experience of my life" |
 |
As told by French-language
Interpreter, Marie
Dart
On April 28th, I received a call from my
sister. There had been a terrible
accident
on Highway 101-a bus with 36 French tourists
had overturned on the overpass in Soledad
(Central California) and authorities were
appealing to the public for interpreters.
She knew that at least one of the victims had
been transported to Fresno, where I live, a
three hour drive from the accident site.
I felt compelled to do something.
Uncertain of which hospital any accident
victims would be flown to, I proceeded to our
largest facility, Fresno Regional Medical
Center. After a phone call, the admitting
clerk declared, "Yes, we do have a patient
from that accident here." I felt relieved
that I had found the right hospital. As my
escort and I snaked our way through the
corridors, my thoughts turned towards what
might be awaiting me. My "relief" was
replaced with apprehension.
So began one of the most rewarding and
interesting
experiences of my life. The accident victim
was a 13 year old girl, Emilie. In
summary,
it was Easter break in France when Emilie and
her mother, Anais, departed for a two-week
tour encompassing the Grand Canyon, San
Francisco, Monterey, and Hollywood. Nearing
the completion of the tour, the bus was in
route from Monterey to Hollywood when the
accident occurred. Unfortunately, mother and
daughter were separated at the scene of the
accident.
Anais had been ejected from the bus,
rolled down a 60' embankment, and lay
motionless in a ravine below the overpass.
Restrained by officers at the scene, Emilie
didn't know if her mother was alive or dead.
From the emergency room I broke the news
to Emilie's father, Evan, in France.
Reassuring him that his daughter's injuries
appeared to be superficial, I promised to
remain with her until he arrived.
Anais' condition and whereabouts remained a
mystery for nearly 24 hours. Identified by
photo, Anais was in an induced coma on a
respirator at Stanford Medical Center. Her
condition was very critical and would remain
so for the next 72 hours.
Over the next two and a half days I spoke
with, interpreted, and relayed messages to
Evan, the French Embassy, Assistance Europe,
social workers, CHP officers, and hospital
staff.
I had the pleasure of meeting Anais before
her return to France. She is an amazing
woman, spiritually and physically. At the
time of my visit, she had been off the
respirator for about 10 days and was
struggling with pneumonia and jaundice.
She
had undergone surgery to pin her sacrum just
days before. She sustained numerous injuries
during the accident, not the least of which
were twelve broken ribs and a fractured
pelvis. A testament to her strength of
character is her determination to one day
return and complete the tour.
Since that time, I remain in contact via
e-mail with my newfound friends from this
experience.
I began working for Language
Line in January of this year and had it not
been for the pre-employment training I
received, I would not have felt comfortable
volunteering my services. I appreciate not
only the training, but the understanding and
generosity which Language Line Services
demonstrated during the time I helped the
Boulanger family. It was an amazing
experience.
____________
Thank you, Marie, for a wonderful story.
And
for being an important member of our
professional interpreter team.
If you, our reader, would like to be an
over the phone
interpreter for Language Line Services, just
visit our Career Center here and
apply for one of our current openings.
Photo by
physician/photographer Ed Uthman via
Flickr
|
Free! "The Guide to Translation and Localization" |
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Communicate the Right Message,
Regardless of
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Given the changing demographics of today's
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Unfortunately, if you select an
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Sign
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PS: Remember to include your mailing
address in the brief form on the Web page if
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Otherwise, we'll send you a downloadable PDF
version. Thank you!
|
London, Canada FreePress: "Cruisers Sport Multicultural Decals" |
 |
Several London, Ontario police
cruisers have a new, multicultural
look.
Five cruisers now sport decals with the
word "Police" in five languages: Arabic,
Chinese, Persian, Polish and Vietnamese.
"Those languages are popular among new
immigrants to London," said police diversity
officer Const. Marcel Marcellin.
Police chose those languages because most
are not easily identifiable to English speakers.
Many newcomers to Canada come from
countries where police officers are to be
feared, not trusted, and London officers and
community workers want to change that
attitude here.
"People are coming from countries where
police aren't always helpful," said Suzanne
LaRose, the Cross Cultural Learner Centre's
acting director.
"(The police) didn't have to do this.
They're trying to help reinforce the fact
that they're here to help."
See what the Canadian police cruisers look
like in other languages, and read
the rest of this London Free Press article
here >>
|
Who's Hispanic? "Anyone Who Says They Are..." |
 |
By Jeffrey Passel and Paul Taylor, Pew
Hispanic Center
Is Sonia Sotomayor the first
Hispanic ever nominated to the U.S.
Supreme Court?
Or does that distinction belong to the
late Justice Benjamin Cardozo, who served on
the court from 1932-1938 and whose ancestors
may or may not have come from Portugal?
Unscrambling Cardozo's family tree is best
left to historians and genealogists. Here the
Pew Research takes a stab at a more daunting
question.
Just who is a Hispanic?
If you turn to the U.S. government for
answers, you quickly discover that it has two
different approaches to this definitional
question. Both are products of a 1976 act of
Congress and the administrative regulations
that flow from it.
One approach defines a Hispanic or Latino
as a member of an ethnic group that traces
its roots to 20 Spanish-speaking nations from
Latin America and Spain itself (but not
Portugal or Portuguese-speaking Brazil).
The other approach is much simpler.
Who's Hispanic? Anyone who says they are.
And nobody who says they aren't.
The U.S. Census Bureau uses this second
approach.
Click
here to read the rest of this Pew Hispanic
Center article>>
A
PDF Adobe Acrobat version of this report can
be found here >>
__________
Related Pew Hispanic Center
reports:
For detailed demographic
information about
the Hispanic population, visit "Statistical
Portrait of Hispanics in the United States,
2007" (March 5, 2009) and "Latinos
Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth
Since 2000" (Oct. 23, 2008), which
includes interactive maps.
To learn more about the Hispanic vote in
2008, read "Dissecting
the Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S.
History" (April 30, 2009) and "The
Hispanic Vote in the 2008 Election" (Nov.
5, 2008).
To learn more about Hispanic Women in the
United States, read the fact sheet "Hispanic
Women in the United States, 2007" (May 8,
2008).
|
White Paper: "Breaking the Language Barrier" - Free Download |
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"The growing linguistic diversity
of the United States is having a
dramatic impact on the delivery of... health
care services.
"Each day, thousands of patients arrive at
hospitals, urgent care centers and primary
care medical offices, and before their
temperature is taken or their blood pressure
is gauged, they face a potentially
devastating barrier that could affect the
quality of care they receive, the outcome of
their visit, and their future health."
So begins a newly published white paper from
Language Line Services based upon the latest
data concerning the millions of American
patients with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Get your copy now! Share it with your
colleagues.
Complete
the brief form here and you can
immediately download an Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
version of "Breaking the Language Barrier -
Health Care Quality, Efficiency and Savings
through Professional Medical
Interpretation".
|
We Are Hiring. Interpreter & Corporate Opportunities |
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Language Line Services,
the leader
in over-the-phone interpretation,
is seeking to increase its interpreter team
in many languages.
If you have
excellent proficiency in English, with
strong listening and comprehension skills as
well as good customer service skills,
you can become an interpreter for Language Line
Services.
Visit www.languageline.com/careers.
View
the "How to Become an Interpreter"
Video.
Then, click on "Apply Today" under
"interpreter Careers" OR "Corporate
Careers" and follow the directions.
Here's what a valued client said just
the other day
about one of Language Line Services'
excellent interpreters:
"...interpreter #6100 for Farsi was
awesome fantastic and amazing. I am
speechless as to how good the interpreter
was. We have a very difficult client that he
made so easy for me. Thank you..."
Join Us, Will You?
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