Introduction
Note-taking compliments short-term memories as it ensures recalling and remembrance of all details. Note-taking is helpful as it frees one’s mind from having to remember everything. Note-taking is the enactment of writing small pieces of information down systematically to remember everything later. Note-taking is a powerful craft in the medical field because accuracy, authenticity, and clarity are key for health care workers, especially medical interpreters. Medical translation necessitates many features of human health such as medical manuals and devices, medical history, drug transcription and interpretation, clinical literature and, educating patients, and in each of these fields, efficiency is key. Note-taking is important to medical interpreters as it increases their efficiency by adding memory support as the patient can explain themselves longer without the medical translator halting them. It also helps them develop their techniques for note-taking because they are mostly taken down in one’s character. Medical interpreters need to practice note-taking skills as they increase their precision and also enables the patient to speak longer without interruption hence making the medical interpreters more efficient and confident while they are talking and giving prescriptions to the patients.
Note Taking Techniques
In 1956, Jean-Francios Rozan established a note-taking method that comprises seven principles. The first principle is noting the idea and not the word. The interpreter should focus on the idea and note it down properly and clearly. The two rules of abbreviation, which are an abbreviation of words and indicating gender or tense, are essential in note-taking. Long words can be abbreviated by writing down the first two letters and the last two. Visually presenting linking words by stacking method removes the need to write downlinking words making it easy. Using keywords and abbreviations and not full sentences of what is being said is another principle to effective note-taking for medical interpreters. They will listen actively and not miss a point of what is being said.
The use of pictures and symbols as doodling helps with jogging the memory during interpretation. Use of symbols such as underling a word twice can be used to show emphasis. Noting down the main vocabulary words in order of how they were said gives the medical interpreter a visual timeline of the conversation. It helps in pointing out the smaller details too. The medical interpreter should also group both main ideas supporting ideas and use keywords of points to support the ideas to flow the interpretation. To sharpen their skills in note-taking, medical interpreters should practice the above skills as practice makes perfect, and it will also help them in effective note-taking. Medical interpreters should familiarize themselves with effective note-taking techniques as the whole process is composed of multi-tasking, more like simultaneous interpreting.
Note-Taking in Consecutive Interpreting
In consecutive interpreting, note-taking is not simple as the medical interpreters have to analyze, understand and render just what matters to the patients or audience. Medical interpreters take notes depending on what they are about to deliver to the audience. For example, an informative speech requires full note-taking, while an argumentative speech is based on much less data. In consecutive interpreting, notes should be taken in the language that they will be presented with (Sheng’ 357). It helps the interpreter associate themselves with the language they will present with hence dissociating both languages. This increases the effectiveness and fluency of the speech they are going to give.
The medical interpreter might not remember a word in the presentation language while taking notes. Writing down the term in the ‘sources language’ instead of leaving it out completely and continuing to take notes helps create time to remember the accurate replacement of the word. Symbols and abbreviations are useful in note-taking. The medical interpreter should carefully use the right ones to avoid confusion and make mistakes while interpreting or presenting their notes. To avoid getting stuck, the interpreter should write a little but quickly to note down all points. The interpreter can also change how the structure of the points but always respecting the speakers’ intentions.
On-Site and Remote Interpreting
In these two, the interpreter comes face to face with the source. On-site interpreting is common in health facilities as most of the time; the patients go to the hospital to see the doctor. In remote interpreting, the medical interpreter communicates to the audience using a computer by video means. Note-taking in on-site and remote interpreting is more accurate as observation of body language, and other verbal clues are included, improving the interpretation (Jacobs et al. 72). Remote interpreting helps the patients access more tools such as sign languages and verbal languages (Wang’ et al. 45). Medical interpreters must familiarize themselves with both on-site and remote interpreting as most of the patients use it. Medical Interpreters are required to listen more than they talk because listening is the key to effective note-taking, which leads to accurate and effective service. Like for example, when the doctor is prescribing medicine to the patient, they should listen to them clearly and effectively so that they may be able to analyze what the patient is suffering from and give them the best treatment.
Critical Thinking and Note-Taking for Medical Interpreters
Good reading, note-taking and critical thinking work together to bring the intended result, whether in schools or medical facilities, by medical interpreters who may analyze patients’ results. Critical thinking helps medical interpreters assess, question, and evaluate information, analyzing the data from a different point of view, hence making their conclusions (Elder et al. 56). Thinking critically helps medical interpreters gather information and compare different sources to get the most accurate and most efficient information. A note-taking system that makes a medical interpreter question and evaluates information, relate theory to practice, and form their conclusions makes them think critically, which improves their interpretation skills. Good notes organizing and taking, reading and thinking critically are skills that develop over time. With practice, medical interpreters are more aware of basic concepts and debates and can engage in an informed way (Naseri 12). Medical interpreters should put into effort measures and practices to develop their critical thinking as it is a very important skill in their field.
Note-taking greatly helps medical interpreters and guarantees the exactness and perfection of their interpretation are given to their patients. The medical interpreter needs to take precise and efficient notes so that nothing is left out if maybe the doctor wants to give a long explanation of a diagnosis as a wrong interpretation can negatively influence the patient’s wellbeing. Advanced language skills are also a key to effective note-taking as the medical interpreter must understand the patient to examine and analyze their condition so that they may be able to give the right prescription or treatment. A language barrier can be a major problem in hospitals because different people with different cultures and originalities meet there. To mitigate the problem, medical interpreters must have advanced language skills. Cultural awareness is a factor influencing note-taking as all medical interpreters should not be sensitive to any cultural issues. Sensitive issues pop up all the time between patients and medical interpreters, maybe when the patient is explaining about themselves. The medical interpreter must be culturally aware and equipped better to navigate issues and step in.
The mastery of healthcare-related content and words is another key to effective note-taking. Most of the time, the patients tend to explain themselves in complicated ways, which the medical interpreter can only understand because they know to understand the symptoms. It also helps in preventing interpretation-related mistakes and makes the interpreters’ day to day tasks simpler. In any type of consecutive interpreting, not only conference and speech interpreting, note-taking skills are very important. Medical interpreters should develop their techniques in taking notes which aids them in remembering the structure of what the patients gave them and increase their memory efficiency as memory contributes most in bringing the details of content to give the desired outcome. Whether the notes are vast or thin, the medical interpreter should make sure that they note down all the main ideas and the main focal points as they help them to understand their patients’ main issue and problem and respond accordingly by treating them. All medical interpreters must aim to improve their note-taking skills.
Works Cited
Elder, Linda, and Richard Paul. Critical thinking: Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. Foundation for Critical Thinking, 2020.
Jacobs, Barb, et al. “Medical interpreters in outpatient practice.” The Annals of Family Medicine 16.1 (2018): 70-76.
Naseri, Mohammad Mansoor. “The Importance of Memory and Note-taking in the Process of Interpreting.”
Sheng, Y. U. “New Perspectives of Note-Taking Training in Consecutive Interpreting.” DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education and Human Science icaem (2017).
Wang, Jihong, and Jing Fang. “Accuracy in telephone interpreting and on-site interpreting: A comparative study.” Interpreting 21.1 (2019): 36-61.