Remote But Highly Engaged: Training Telephonic and Video Interpreters for Success

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Remote but highly engaged:
Training telephonic and video interpreters for success
Guest Trainer: Claudia Brauer - October 29, 2015
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Welcome!
Guest Trainer: Claudia Brauer

We are here

A G E N D A

Acronyms
OPI & VRI/RVI
‣Over-the-Phone Interpreter
‣Video Remote (dialogue) Interpreter
Remote Video (dialogue) Interpreter
Video-mediate (dialogue) Interpreter

PDF of this presentation
Will be posted and made available
on the NCIHC Home for Trainers Website

A G E N D A
‣ Changing the Mindset
‣ New Skills Required for OPI
‣ Additional Skills Required for VRI
‣ Practice is Quintessential
‣ Adjusting Training to Your Audience
‣ Profile of the Remote Interpreter
‣ Working Conditions
‣ Resources
‣ Q&A

ESSENTIALS
TO CONVEY
TO YOUR STUDENTS

The only constant in the world is
CHANGE

“You can’t change a
person’s performance
until you first change their
beliefs.”
Frances Frei
Harvard Business School

Maybe technology will not replace
interpreters, but they will be
replaced by other interpreters
using state-of-the-art technology
Claudia Brauer

Theonlyconstantintheworldis
CHANGE
2014
1990’s
1980’s
Government
Policy
HIPAA/
“CLAS”
VRI Digital/Web
Worldwide
Knowledgeable
Intellectual On-site
Social
services
Healthcare
1974
Over-the-Phone
Large Business
only
Agencies/
LSP
Legal for
community
Mobile
Y2K

Resistance to Change

Being is easier than Becoming
 Take baby steps
 Simplify the process
 Prepare for problems
https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200210/the-10-rules-change

Interpreting in the medical field
Nothing on-site OPI VRI WBI
Translator Interpreter Transinterpreter
Think “informed consent”

 Medical field at forefront of changes
 Verbal  Paper Computer Cloud Mobile
 Y2K HIPAA C.L.A.S……. and now:
e-medicine remote “medical teams”

The Medical Field 2015-25

The Medical Field 2015-25
 Organ printing
 Gene therapy
 Stem-cell treatments
 Synthetic blood
 Smart drugs
 Hybrid limbs
Personalized medicine

Personalized medicine
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712541_8

Practice Is Necessary
 Practice in many settings

New interpreter modalities:
OPI Over the phone
VRI Video remote
dialogue interpreter
WBI Web-based

Originally
Sign Language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_interpretation
Now
Dialogue Too

21st Century Digital Global Village
Herbert Marshall McLuhan
“Electronic mass media collapses space
and time …enabling people to interact
and live on a global scale.”

Digital technology: transfer breaking down into binary
code the communication between two machines

Immense amounts of information compressed on small storage
devices that can be easily preserved and transported.

Mobile (Cellular) Technologies
irantpcnet.com
latimesblogs.latimes.com

Mobile Technologies
 Remind students of what they are ALREADY using
in their daily lives
 Show where the world is going (trends/realities)
http://www.internetsearchinc.com/mobile-technology-trends-to-watch-in-2015/

Mobile Technologies
Apple has the largest market cap in the world.

Interactive Media
 Show how it will directly impact Medicine

Social Networking
 X

Social Networking
 Structural changes in the way humans
communicate with each other today
“From Grunts to Tweets:
Communication and Human History”
Dr. Marshall Poe, Associate Professor of History at the University of Iowa,

Social Networking
 Ask students about own experience
 Ask about the experience of their kids
and younger relatives
 Friends (Facebook, LinkedIn, G+, Twitter)
in China? In Slovenia? Africa?

Social Networking
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/social-networking-usage-2005-2015/

Social Networking in Healthcare
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/sid-nair/2015-09-21/rx-improve-healthcare-social-media

Social Health-related Networking

Social Media is Transforming Healthcare
http://www.perficient.com/Thought-Leadership/White-Papers/2011/Healthcare-Consumerism-and-Social-Media

Thoughts move
4 times
as fast as speech
One thought
at a time

“You're not paying attention to
one or two things simultaneously,
but switching between them
very rapidly.”
(E. Miller, MIT, Neuroscience)

Humans can NOT do
things simultaneously:
we switch our attention
from task to task
extremely quickly.

Focus your attention on the remote call:
Do NOT perform other tasks
(other than those you NEED TO!)

Transform the characteristics of
one sensory modality into stimuli of
another sensory modality

Gain the ability to perceive a
certain absent sensory modality
(visual sense) by using sensory
information from another sensory
modality (hearing)

 The absence of one sense can augment the
processing of another sense

Spend time in the dark to sharpen
your sense of hearing

Listen to music

Listen to Jazz at medium to low volume

 Effective listening is an active rather than
a passive activity
 Listening with your whole being:
hearing the words and the non visual
aspects of the message

Awareness through our
senses to acquire a
MENTAL IMPRESSION:
intuitive understanding
and insight

 Understand and mirror the
caller’s thoughts and emotions
 Empathetic listening involves paying
attention to a wide range of signals from
the speaker

 Sometimes it is very hard.
 You want to finish the
sentence.
 Give respect and dignity.
 Take a deep breath.

 You are the voice of the speaker
 Be the voice of the speaker, even if you do
not find the logic in their argument
 Being the voice of the speaker, do not argue
with yourself
 You convey the message – you are a conduit

 Conduct yourself professionally at all times,
even when your patience is tested to the
limit.

 When you smile, the soft palate at
the back of your mouth raises and
makes the sound waves more fluid

Smiling helps the voice sound
friendly, warm, and receptive

 One of the ways to positively affect
the inflection in your voice is to smile,
especially when you first answer the
call.

Brain Areas Involved in Language

 The way your voice sounds when you
talk is called your tone of voice
 Your tone of voice tells others about your
attitude (pleasant, professional)
 Become attuned to tones of voice and
inflection: they are as telling as words
Mind the Tone!

 Determine if there is any level of anger
or frustration in the speakers
 If necessary (ask the client), use your
own tone to calm the speaker down
when needed by modeling calm
 We humans tend to mirror other’s tone
Mind the Tone!

Prosody
 Indicates emotional state of the speaker
 Patterns of pitch, stress, intonation, rhythm
(timing)

Prosody:
Irony
Sarcasm
Emphasis
Contrast
Focus
Reflects elements of
language not encoded
in grammar or vocabulary

Inflection is the wave-like
movement of highs and lows in the
pitch of the voice.
Verbal Skill: Inflection

 Peaks and valleys in voice let you
know how interested (or uninterested)
the speaker is in what they're saying
 When inflection is missing, the voice
can sound monotone (read boring
and tedious)
Verbal Skill: Inflection

 Speak more clearly than normal to
compensate for a potentially spotty audio
connection.
 Do not raise your voice or over-enunciate,
but articulate as best as possible, always.
Clarity and enunciation

 Understand the intent behind the words
 Double check the meaning in your head
 Don’t interrupt
 Give the speaker time to complete a line
of thought
Verbal Skill: Intent

Verbal Skill: Eloquence
Clarity
Diction
Register
Delivery

Verbal Skill: Eloquence
https://www.toastmasters.org

Verbal Skill: Speed
 Doctors are always in a hurry…
interpreting “doubles” session time
 Client gets anxious with slow speed
interpreting
 But too fast compromises meaning
and delivery

Verbal Skill: Speed
 Find the “right” speed for the
encounter

 People under pressure:
 Breathing becomes
shallow + quick
 Vocal cords tighten
voice goes up
strains the sound
Follow Breathing Patterns

Under stress:
Slow down
Take long, slow, deep breaths
Relax vocal cords
Bring down pitch - calmer tone
Follow Breathing Patterns

Remote Vs. Face-to-Face
Differences in the
logistical reality
because the interpreter is
not in the same physical
location as the patient or
provider or other client

Working with people you have never met
(or might never hear/see again)

Remote Vs. Face-to-Face
Interpreter
Cannot see visual aspects of the location
May not know who is involved
Cannot see visual materials
Cannot distinguish voices
Cannot attend to environmental cues

Turn-taking
Alerting parties to problems
“Unknown” expected terminology
(type of encounter/patient)
Compensating for lack of visual cues
Train in...

Absence of Body Language
 No visual cues

“Non-verbal” Vs. “Visual”
Telephone interpreters
are only missing one
element: visual.
All other elements are
present in the interaction.

Non-verbal does NOT mean
“all visual” or “visual-only”
 Not true that quality of telephone
interpreting is inferior to other types
of interpreting because of lack of
visual cues

Non-verbal does NOT mean
“all visual” or “visual-only”
 Lack of vision does not necessarily
impair an interpreter’s ability to
interpret precisely and accurately

“Visually impaired” and
“legally blind” interpreters
become excellent dialogue
interpreters!
They just rely on other senses.
So do telephone interpreters.

Working
in the absence of sight
Train to work
without visual cues!

rely heavily on auditory information
to pick up on many types of non-
visual cues

train specifically in listening skills

Study materials

“Non-verbal” Vs. “Visual”
 Telephone interpreters process many
non-visual cues

Perceive non-verbal cues
via auditory input
 Hesitations
 Inflections
 Tone of voice
 Vocal volume
 Breathing

“Pictures” in your head
 “Watch” the speaker’s face
in your mind

 Focus completely on the ideas that the
speaker is communicating

• Create images in your mind about the
issues being discussed and the
location where the conversation is
taking place

Set your attention on
the things not said:
 Breathing
 Tone
 Volume
 Speed
 Pitch
 Stress
 Rhythm (timing)
 Hesitations

Compensate for the
absence of visual stimuli

Compensate for the
 Creativity
 Imagination
 Improvisation

Compensate for the
 Listen attentively to voice and other non-
visual messages

Compensate for the
 Who are they?
 Where are they?
 What is that sound?
 Is that a child or a
female?
 Where is the wound
located?

Compensate for the
 Imagine what is going on
 Example:
Visuals in a room where a doctor is
seeing a patient
Brochures/documents in the room

“Sight translation”
 Patient consents and other documents
normally provided for sight translation
 Request document be read to you
slowly and in small paragraphs

The Actor Modality

You express the needs of another
person, not your own
You convey the thoughts of
another person, not your own
You express the feelings of another
person, not yours

You are Invisible
Because You are the Mirror

The Invisibility Coat

You become
“the voice”
You become
“the presence”
Anonymity

Anonymity

Anonymity
 Ignore your own feelings
and thoughts
 Be totally selfless
 You are at the service of
the other’s feelings
 You are a conduit of their thoughts

Good Actors are Conduits

Good actors “lend” their bodies for
“others” to express through them

I…. vs.
“He said to tell you…”
“Tell her that…” vs.
You…

1st
or 3rd
Person?
 1st
person EXCEPT when specifically
instructed otherwise
 Assume use of 3rd
person by client or LEP is
due to ignorance of protocols

1st
or 3rd
Person?
 Interpreter may add…. “(s)he said” at the
end a couple of times… client/LEP will
eventually “get it” and start using 1st
person
 If the client asks you to use 3rd
person:
 FOLLOW the client instructions
 Do not educate the provider during the
encounter

You are their voice,
not your voice
You convey their thoughts,
not yours
You express their feelings,
not yours.

A G E N D A
‣ Additional Skills Required for
VRI
‣ Adjusting Training to Your Audience
‣ Resources
‣ Q&A

BrauerTraining Code of Ethics

Video-Interpreting

ENSURE STUDENTS LEARN
Video-Etiquette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bW-nkZEe70&feature=related

GO THROUGH EACH OF THE STEPS
TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE
ETIQUETTE

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR CLOTHING
In fact, do not touch yourself

DO NOT BLOW YOUR NOSE
In fact, do not make any bodily
noises - none

DO NOT PRIMP
Do not put on lipstick or fix your
hair in front of the camera

DO NOT EAT ANYTHING
Nothing. Not one cracker.

DO NOT PICK YOUR TEETH
Or any similar thing!

DO NOT PUT ANYTHING
IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
EXCEPT YOUR FACE!

NO “Monkey Behavior”
Do not scratch! Do not itch! Do not clean your ears!

Log in early… but not too early
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48MkJJgidnE

Be aware of your surroundings

Check framing

Check lighting

Check posture

It is not a mirror

DO NOT position your camera too
close, too low, too high, or hooked
onto a different monitor
Make sure camera is far enough

When adjusting your camera, try to fill the
screen as much as possible with your
face and upper body rather than with the
table, chairs, walls, lights, or the floor

And it applies at
ANY time during
the encounter

Lights,
camera,
action!

YOU ARE
YOUR OWN
FILM CREW

Know where the camera is
at all times
It will not be remote video interpreting if the
other party or parties cannot see you or hear
you
Everything you do in front of the camera is
“live” for the other party, so you just have to
deliver the best possible performance once

Know what the camera
is capturing
If the camera is capturing your sleeve or your
eyebrow, it will be a waste of time and a
distraction from the content of the encounter
Use natural gestures when you speak.

Privacy Screen
http://www.stratusvideo.com/protecting-your-patient-the-stratus-video-privacy-screen/

Acting for the camera
 Your audience is the camera
 Use your imagination
 Project voice and emotions

Use the mute button when needed

Angles
Tips by Alyssa Bereznak
Stack a few
books to
help the
camera
meet you at
eye level.

Angles
Avoid any unflattering angle that requires you
to focus your eyes into the camera.
Do not gaze at your own face on the screen.

Dress the part
Solid colors
Neutral or dark
No black
No white
No patterns
Simple/Classy

Jewelry:
turn it down!
Keep bracelets, noisy earrings and all other
jewelry to a bare minimum.
They can become a visual and an auditory
distraction.
Your microphone is channeling all sounds,
including sound of jingle jangle of jewelry.

Is your forehead
or nose shiny?
Sweaty?
Face oil?
Use light foundation
or powder for a
natural glow
Makeup

With the proper lighting, you might look
a bit washed out; to compensate, add a
dash of makeup
Makeup

Make it simple
Keep your hair off your face!
Your face
is more important than your hair.
Hair

Lighting
Do not sit under fluorescent lamp
Keep light diffused

Lighting
Close drapes or blinds.
Daylight can conflict with interior room
lighting.

“Architect” lamp
Make sure your room is well lit
(side lighting is the best).

Lighting
Take a bunch of computer paper and lay it in
front of you between you and the laptop.
The white paper will fill in any shadows.

Sound Quality is
PARAMOUNT

Headset
Mute button
Volume control
Mic/mouthpiece
Earphones

Sound
 Test your microphone before you
video call.
 Garbled or fuzzy audio is annoying
and makes it hard for people to
want to listen to what you have to
say.

Sound
 Speak loudly and clearly.
 Speak in your normal voice,
without shouting. There is no
need to scream into the
microphone.

Sound
 Avoid any background noises
 Avoid "double talk”
 Mute the microphone before
moving it
 Use the "mute" button as often
as necessary

Sound
 Ask the people at the other site if
they can hear you
 Have your party introduce
themselves so you can be sure
that you can hear them

Optimize the audio
Without good audio, the encounter falls
apart.
Low video quality can be forgiven but a
noisy or weak voice connection will
negatively impact the entire encounter

Acoustics
 Room noise and reverberation can
cause echoing and degrade sound
quality
 Fabric on room dividers or use drapery

Stage the room
Remove all signs of domesticity
Project a professional image with a
neutral backdrop and an uncluttered
foreground.

Stage the room
Sit down as you would during the video
meeting and open up the video
conferencing software or app. Then take a
selfie to see whether the background and
lighting are appropriate.

Interpreter’s Background
 Furnishings
 Colors
 Lighting
 Materials

 Wall colors: Muted pale tones; avoid very
bright or very dark colors
 Wall finishes: avoid gloss or enamel
finishes and wallpapers that reflect light
or contain busy, geometric patterns

 Furnishings: Mirrors, glass dividers, etc.
may reflect light, confusing the camera
 Windows: Sunlight can cast shadows
and confuse the camera
 Help control light with shades or curtains
in pale tones

SUGGESTIONS TO
SHARE WITH YOUR
STUDENTS

 Videotape student (yourself)
performing an interpretation of a TV
program as if the TV program was your
client/patient
ER, House, Scrubs
Grey’s Anatomy,
Nurse Jackie

 Look for inconsistent actions that
detract from your performance as an
interpreter.

DRILL THE “NEED” TO

Talk about the learning curves

Skill acquisition:
To “Do” (physical)
vs. To “Know”
(intellectual)

Intensity of the DOING shortens
the length of the learning curve

Instructor-guided practice

BrauerTraining Verbal Gym
 Progressive acquisition of skills via
practice (measure)
 Record and listen (student)
 Active listening via parroting (alertness)
 Message analysis by paraphrasing (timing)
 Retro interpretation (discipline)
 Sight translation (auditory translation)

 Progressive acquisition of skills via practice
(measure)
 Active listening via parroting
(alertness)

(measure)
 Message analysis by paraphrasing
(timing)

(measure)

The copyright statement we require you to include when you use our material is:
©Copyright 2014 Claudia Brauer (iVG2-01) www.brauertraining.com .

The copyright statement we require you to include when you use our material is:
©Copyright 2014 Claudia Brauer (iVG2-01) www.brauertraining.com .
http://remoteinterpreting.wikispaces.com

OPI vs. VRI
 Already communicating over the phone
 When no qualified VRI is available
 When no Video equipment is available
 When it is preferable not to have another
party in the room

OPI vs. VRI
 Already communicating over the phone
 When no qualified VRI is available
 When no video equipment is available
 When it is preferable not to have another
party in the room

When should VRI NOT be used?
 Emotionally charged situations
 Complex medical or legal settings
 Mental health appointments
 Encounters where the client/patient is
uncomfortable with the use of technology

When should VRI NOT be used?
 Highly emotionally charged situations
 Complex medical or legal settings
 Mental health appointments
 Encounters where the client/patient is
uncomfortable with the use of technology

But the decision is not yours….
 Who decides?
 Most of the time it is not you!
 Education of the provider is NOT the
interpreter’s responsibility (unless his/her
opinion is requested)

On-site Vs. Remote
VRI for ASL is not VRI for Dialogue
But we can learn so much from ASL VRIs!

On-site Vs. Remote
 Understanding protocols
 Communication management
 Dynamics of turn taking
 Video etiquette

 Availability of technical support
On-site Vs. Remote
 Duration of the encounter
 Flow of communication

Technology Training
in the Remote Hardware
in the Remote Software
On-site Vs. Remote

Concerns regarding
video and audio quality
Concerns regarding
stability of the
connection
Troubleshooting
technology issues
On-site Vs. Remote

Background and familiarity with
- who is involved?
- what subject?
On-site Vs. Remote

Use of other media
(outside the range of
interpreter’s
audio/video range)
NO prior access
to pertinent materials
On-site Vs. Remote

No preparation possible when working
as on-demand contractor
No time to gather information and
“assess” the environment and the
encounter
On-site Vs. Remote

Much riding on the
competence (or
incompetence!) of
the client’s facilitator:
are THEY tech-savvy?
On-site Vs. Remote

Difficult to assess
cultural issues and
difficult to create
a “natural” interaction with all parties.
On-site Vs. Remote

VISUAL-SPATIAL LITERACY

Common issues
 No “niceties” or basic civilities
 No politeness
 No “normal” social behavior
 No room for pre-session
 Handling rude or racist providers or
LEPs

The interpreter is the conduit
 The interpreter is at the encounter to
complete THAT encounter, not to educate
the provider
 Wrong decisions by the provider are not the
responsibility of the interpreter
 The interpreter does the best possible job,
within his/her abilities and constraints

#7.3 Role Boundaries
The remote interpreter does not
engage in any other activities that
may be construed to constitute a
service other than interpreting.
BrauerTraining Code of Ethics for Remote Interpreters

http://skateguard1.blogspot.com

When things go wrong (and they will…)
When to report
Who to report
 If you are part of a larger
organization
 If you work alone from home

When things go wrong (and they will…)
What to report
 “Any BEHAVIOR that makes me
uncomfortable”
 “Any BEHAVIOR that does not
seem fair”

Incident Reporting
 DO address concerns via the appropriate
channels
 Follow up with your supervisor AFTER the
encounter, and/or
 Report incident via internal mechanisms
within your employer or agency, and/or
 Report to appropriate administration officer

Incident Reporting
 You may also use the OCR's
established procedure for taking
complaints:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/file/index.html

Incident Reporting
 Reach out via the NCIHC listserv for
guidance or direct support, and/or
 Feel free to copy the NCIHC Work Group that
is working on educating providers on how to
work with interpreters, at:
education@ncihc.org

Title VI violations
 Interpreter is NOT a Quality
Assurance agent
 As the conduit for THAT encounter,
convey ALL content as stated

Do NOT educate callers during the encounter
Convey ALL information without deleting,
adding OR EMBELLISHING it.

You are the conduit, not the recipient
Let the provider make the decisions, even
when foul language is used

Do NOT wear other “hats” during the encounter
Not administrator
Not Quality Assurance
Not Title VI overseer
Interpreter only

The encounter is in itself the ONLY thing that
should occur during the encounter (unless
gross misconduct by any of the parties)

 DO NOT handle Title VI violations during the
encounter
 DO NOT try to educate provider during the
encounter
 The immediacy and fast pace environment of
remote interpreting is not suitable to address
issues during the encounter

You may follow up regarding provider
education after and outside the encounter
Sole contractors
Agency workers
Hospital on-site personnel

“I do not hold THE truth. I hold MY truth,
and it may be contested. Thus, you must
find YOUR truth. This presentation is just
a guide with some packaged suggestions
to start a journey together.” Claudia Brauer

A G E N D A
‣ Adjusting Training to You Audience
‣ Resources
‣ Q&A

Language Service Providers (LSP)
and Hospital Language
Departments
www.cisco.com

Work-at-Home Vs. On-Site

• Secured income
• Secured benefits
• Career growth
Work at HQ

• Certainty
• Stability
• Friendships
• Professional training
Work at HQ

Work at home
 No billing
 Own schedule
 No commuting
 Deductible expense

Work at home
 # of on-site is
very limited
 LSPs are hiring
 Second job?

Fee-based service
Or on-site

Fee-Based Service or Payroll

Scheduling/Duration of Sessions
9 to 5 Vs. “6 to 8 + 11 to 2 + 7 to 9”

Min. 2 hrs. Vs. 5min+35min+10min…+…

2 hrs. Day Shifts:
15 min break “Ideal”
2 hrs. 5 – 8 hr per shift
½ hr break “Reality”
(repeat) 8 – 10 hr shifts?!
+ Graveyard Shift: 8pm – 6am

 How long is too long?
 How often should there be a break?
 What if the interpreter is too tired?
 Who makes the decisions?

Computer-proficient interpreter
No longer an “option” – Now it is a REQUIREMENT of the job

Computer-proficient interpreter
Desktops
Laptops
Tablets
Mobile devices
MS Office
Search Engines
Social Media
CAT tools

Free classes everywhere

TECH-SAVVY interpreter
Nurses 1980 =
Zero computer
Interpreters must
become tech-savvy too!
Nurses 2015 =
Tech-savvy

Qualified
TECH-SAVVY
Interpreters

Remote surgeryRemote consultation/diagnosis

The Ideal Candidate
 Great verbal and mental resources, of course
Ability to constantly improvise
 Ability to jump from one topic and
setting to a totally different topic and
setting, in a matter of seconds

Working with
unknowns
ALL THE TIME!

Ability to follow
client's instructions
closely

Ability to concentrate,
stay detached from the
conversation, and remain
neutral and objective at
all times

Patience
Versatility
Willingness to learn
Personality traits

Personality traits
Patience
Versatility

FLEXIBILITY
 Improvisation
 Imagination
 Creativity
devguru.me

Remote Interpreters need,
above all, to be highly
flexible human beings
to adjust and respond to all sorts
of unexpected circumstances

Traits
Adaptability
Confidence
Composure
Autonomy

Large amount of regional variations
and “adopted” terms

Large amount of “loan” terms
In human migrations,
languages and cultures
collide.
Speakers of one language will
often take words from
another language and make
them their own.

Change….
 Variety of situations
 Changing circumstances
 Diverse scope of terminology

From local to wide-reaching
Huge variety of interpreting scenarios
Concepts may not even exist in the
LEP’s country of origin
Sometimes you need to lower the
register to be understood

Many regional dialects

Assume that insurance, medicine and healthcare
are different in LEP’s country of origin

Exposure to new and changing
terminology every day

LEP speaks Spanglish, Franglais, Denglish,
or other combinations

Many more people from lower educational backgrounds
with no knowledge of grammatical and structural aspects
of a given language (even their own)

Remote interpreters cannot “judge” a person’s language use
as “right” or “wrong”. Just facilitate communication
by rendering the best interpretation

Impartiality means making no judgment during the call

No “right” or “wrong” terms
Sometimes “functional”
Instead of “grammatically correct”
Example: LEP – Limited English Proficiency
LEP
(used as noun)
LEP patient/person/client
(correct use as adjective)
If you suspect client is using LEPs mother’s maiden to find the
LEP’s name in the computer while the LEP is stating just one of
two surname, ask client if you may confirm this potential source
of misunderstanding with LEP.

Willingness to acknowledge that communication
takes priority over textbook definitions of what is
“right” or “wrong” for a given language

 Never be complacent
 Constantly: new terminology
 “Daily” things of life are
learning opportunities

Excellent listening and retention
Listening
Retention

Meds/procedures
Names and #s
Addresses
Dates
Lists
Note-taking Skills: Indispensable!

Note Taking
Main ideas
Connectors
References
Quotes

Note-taking under the camera
Set up to make hand
movements not visible
Enough distance from
microphone so noise of
scribbling is not heard

VRI:
Cannot be
camera shy
HCIN
Willingness
to be under
the microscope

Customer Service Skills

Blending

http://en.termwiki.com/EN/transinterpreter

Translators perform interpreting tasks
Interpreters translating notes in text form

 Develop ability to perform as a
simultaneous interpreter… it is being
requested more and more
Simultaneous interpreting

Esther Navarro’s Sim-ConsecTM
http://1culture.net/1culture/an-introduction-to-sim-consec/
https://www.facebook.com/Interpretrain/posts/638780449549968

“Office Space” Vs. “Home Space”

Quiet Environment
Free from distractions
No background noise
Pets
Children
Other sounds

http://www.mayoclinic.org
E-R-G-O-N-O-M-I-C-S (Please!)

Telephone amplifier
 Boost volume

Landline
 Home-based interpreter
will need to devote time
to purchasing, installing,
and maintaining their
own equipment.

Vital: Headset

Computer and software

Adequate connectivity
 Bandwidth
 from 128 Kbps
for a desktop system
 to 20+ Mbps
for a telepresence suite

Internet Connection
 High Speed preferred
 Broadband and Satellite
• Cable
• Digital subscribers
• Dial-up

Up-to-date equipment
Computer
Web cam

Webcam
 A 1.3 MP camera might
be as good as an 8 MP
camera.
 Important factors:
handling, comfort,
torque, suspension

You will need to work with the client or LSP’s
IT department to set up and install specific
software and you need to train in its use.

Troubleshooting
(on-site)

Troubleshooting
(home office)

Audio
“Nobody can hear me”
 Microphone may be switched off or not
plugged in or turned down
 Check microphone: correct audio settings?
 Test the speakers

Audio
Participants complain that they are hearing
echoes or feedback.
 Echoes/feedback occur when multiple devices in
one room join a video meeting
 Have the microphone muted and turn down the
speaker volume

Video
Blurry Image
 Camera out of focus
 Manually re-focus camera
 Use auto-focusing webcam
 Wipe lens in case it is dirty

Video
Image with very poor resolution
 Wrong webcam resolution configuration
 Check resolution
 Change configuration

Video
Image is “skipping”
 Internet bandwidth
connection
 Inadequate memory
or CPU power
 Run a speed test
 Check Wi-Fi issues

Test your system
Get a colleague or friend in a remote
location with a computer/webcam and invite
them to a video meeting
Test that everything is working
 iron out all the quirks

Remote interpreter should
control internal sources of noise
 Air conditioning units
 Space heaters
 Microwaves
 Exercise machines
 Musical equipment
 Fans

block external sources of noise
 Rain
 Thunder
 High winds
 Hail
Use mute button when not speaking
or move to another room if persistent
• Ambulance sirens
• Police vehicles
• Fire trucks
• Electric tools
(snow blowers, etc.)

block external sources of noise
Door bell
Knock on door
(Leave note on door with further instructions)

No cell phone on
 Turn off your cellular and other devices

What time is it?
 Be sensitive to time differences.

Common issues
 No sound
 Interference and feedback from other
electronic devices
 Connectivity problems

Common issues
 Picture clarity issues
 Temporary loss of video signal
 Time delay between picture and words

Common issues
 Communication/connection issues
 Firewall issues
 Network configuration issues

Common issues
 IP addresses not correct
 Transmits over ISDN producing line
problems
 Far end incompatibility

 Not only the VRI’s own equipment and
software, connectivity and resources
But
 Also the customer’s own issues related
to their equipment, hardware, software
connectivity and resources!
Common issues

3rd
Party Technical issues
 Client staff not able to use their
equipment
 Client equipment not compatible with
interpreter’s equipment
 Incorrect configuration of the
equipment

3rd
 Lack of training of consumers on the
dynamics of a virtual encounter
 Inadequate placement of cameras at
consumer’s location
 Background noises like medical
monitors and other equipment

3rd
 Inadequate audio on patient’s monitor
 Inadequate connections
 inadequate reception at all sites
 Issues with video and audio stability
 Issues with IP settings

 Lack of technical staff at the facility
 Antiquated equipment at facility
 Multiple HD camera feeds distort
audio
 Bandwidth problems @ facility
3rd

 Operator error in handling equipment
 Lack of adequate user training
 Lack of familiarity with the unit on the
part of the customer
 Remote location where video is not a
priority for the individual in charge
3rd

3rd
 Signal interference with other
equipment in the facility
(portable x-ray or EKG machines, etc.);
 Software configurations
 Hardware arrangements

3rd
 “Dead zones” within the facility
where reception is not accessible
 Lower bandwidth (wireless
connections)
 Distorted and pixilated video output

‣ Adjusting Training to You Audience
‣ Resources
‣ Q&A

TOOLS TO USE IN YOUR TRAINING
AND/OR SHARE WITH STUDENTS
Links will be
available to
the NCIHC
Home for Trainers
website

PDF of this presentation

References cited

BrauerTraining Codes of Ethics

Proprietary
Tools

References

Auditory/Voice Exercises

Click and Go

WWW.NCIHC.ORG
Claudia Brauer
claudia@brauertraining.com
http://brauertraining.com
Twitter: @Brauertraining

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December 3rd
, 2015
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Remote But Highly Engaged: Training Telephonic and Video Interpreters for Success

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