Agenda: Saturday, May 16, 2026

Medical Interpreters play a key role in healthcare, ensuring patients receive accurate medical information and a medical error is avoided. The cost of not having high quality interpretation in medical visits is dire, in both health outcomes and economic impact. In person interpretation is particularly powerful. But what makes interpreters different from high quality AI machines? During the session we will explore the importance of human connection, contextualization of conversation and additionally discuss opportunities medical interpreters have beyond interpretation such as cultural navigation, advocacy, and provider education. 

Objectives:

1. Review the critical role interpreters play in healthcare.
2. Understand the impact of human connection on accuracy and quality of patient-provider interaction when supported by in-person interpreter.
3. Discuss potential roles medical interpreters can play in advocacy, client support, and provider education.

Abstract: This interactive session explores how communication access in medical settings can be strengthened through collaboration between interpreters, coordinators, and Deaf patients and families. Drawing on real-world coordination experience and personal lived experiences as a Deaf parent, this session highlights what meaningful access truly looks like — before, during, and after appointments.

Objectives:

1. Identify best practices for sharing information between interpreters, coordinators, and medical providers while maintaining professional boundaries and confidentiality.
2. Explain how effective warm handoffs and communication flow enhance continuity of care for Deaf patients and families.
3. Recognize the unique interpreting considerations and emotional dynamics present in OB, pediatric, and family-centered medical settings.
4. Apply culturally responsive strategies that center the Deaf experience and promote equitable access throughout the entire care journey.

Join us to hear about the revision process for the National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care. Interpreters shared how they implemented the National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and commented on the applicability of various standards. They reflected on their experiences, their understanding of their responsibilities, and the growth of remote interpreting. Hear about the new concepts and perspectives introduced to the Code after analyzing the national data. Discuss and analyze real scenarios with colleagues using an outcome-based approach.

Objectives:

1. Recognize the connections between the values, principles, and standards of our profession.
2. Describe what makes healthcare interpreting a practice profession.
3. Grasp how an outcome-based approach allows professionals to make useful ethical decisions.
4. Practice applying an outcome-based approach to case scenarios.

Ensuring equitable care for patients with language barriers requires more than individual interpreter skill—it demands a thoughtfully designed, well-governed, and operationally sound Language Access program. This session presents a practical, system-level model for structuring, staffing, and integrating language access services across a large healthcare system, emphasizing alignment with regulatory requirements, patient safety goals, and organizational strategy. Using real-world examples, the session illustrates how coordinated workflows, interpreter modalities, technology integration, and the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) program collectively support human connection, clinical clarity, and safe, high-quality care. Participants will gain actionable insights for strengthening or redesigning language access infrastructure within their own organizations.

Objectives:

1. 1. Participants will be able to describe key operational and administrative components of a systemwide language access program, including governance, workflows, staffing models, and modality selection.
   2. Participants will be able to identify how structured language access services improve patient safety, communication accuracy, and human connection across diverse medical settings and modalities.
   3. Participants will be able to evaluate the role of technology, data, and performance metrics in managing and continuously improving language access services.
   4. Participants will be able to apply practical strategies for integrating interpreters, translators, and Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) into clinical operations to meet regulatory requirements and support high-quality, patient-centered care.

In an era where interpreters are navigating increasingly complex medical encounters, whether in-person, remote, or hybrid, technical skill alone is not enough. True excellence begins with self-awareness. This session invites interpreters to explore how understanding their unique strengths can transform the quality of their interpreting sessions and enhance patient-provider communication.

Participants will learn how to identify their professional and interpersonal strengths using a simple reflective framework that integrates mindset, communication style, and professional boundaries. Through real-life scenarios and interactive activities, we will explore how self-awareness improves neutrality, supports emotional regulation, and strengthens trust. Three critical components of the “human connection” essential to medical interpreting.

This workshop also addresses how interpreters can apply their strengths to lead “up, down, and across”—positively influencing the interpreting dynamic with providers, clients, and colleagues. Whether serving in person or through a screen, participants will leave with practical tools to build confidence, foster collaboration, and show up as the best version of themselves in every encounter.

Objectives:

1. Identify their top three professional strengths and describe how these impact their interpreting performance.
2. Apply self-awareness strategies to enhance communication and manage stress during medical encounters.
3. Recognize how strengths-based leadership principles can be used to improve team and provider interactions across modalities.

Cultivate habits that promote interpreter wellness and relational trust with patients and providers.  

Augusto Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed (TO) is a powerful, interactive theater methodology designed to promote social change by transforming spectators into active participants (“spect-actors”). Applying “TO” medical interpretation encounters is a creative way to train interpreters, improve empathy, and explore power dynamics in clinical settings. Participants will be led through a series of vocal and breath control exercises to strengthen clarity and self-regulation. As a group, we will explore scenarios based on real life encounters where we have been challenged in some way. Examples of these encounters may include communication challenges, cultural misunderstandings, or power imbalances (e.g., patient feels disempowered, doctor/family member wants to overpower conversation, interpreter struggles with neutrality).

Using Augusto Boal’s TO – Forum Theater or “tag out” method, we will roleplay some of these encounters allowing participants to experiment with different strategies, step into each other’s shoes, and collaboratively problem-solve. Using TO to practice medical interpretation can illuminate power imbalances and ethical dilemmas, provide a safe space to rehearse responses, foster empathy by embodying multiple perspectives, encourage creative problem-solving in complex encounters, and develop skills in negotiation, clarification, and advocacy.

The session concludes with a recap of the practical grounding and centering techniques interpreters can apply immediately in their daily work followed by a talk back to summarize the experiences, clarify concepts, and/or offer feedback.

Objectives:

1. Explore strategies for managing difficult encounters through roleplay and group problem-solving.
2. Learn from peers’ shared experiences in a supportive, hands-on environment.
3. Strengthen professional boundaries and presence under pressure.
4. Practice vocal and breath techniques to support emotional regulation during interpreting.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) healthcare simulation-based scenarios are on the rise; however, linguistic diversity is often missed (Díaz et al., 2022). The national Cultural, Linguistic Appropriate Services Standards (CLAS) are free to use and easily adapted into an immersive simulation environment. The possibilities for interpreter education and training are endless. Communication is often the leading factor of health equity. Improved strategies to practice and evaluate practices of the unique skills required of interpreters are essential in the improvement and elimination of linguistic bias and discrepancies. Skills are needed to improve the appropriate delivery of healthcare and increase health literacy. This session will demonstrate the relevance of including Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practice TM (HSSOBPTM) to include CLAS standards in simulation-based education (SBE). A discussion of the application of simulation to enhance interpreter training will be modeled in the creation of complex scenarios. Active participation will enhance instruction and empower participants, which will provide a lasting impact. The outcomes of this session can be applied immediately in any interpreter training with minor adjustments. Improvement of health equity begins with educating the learner of their potential role as a social justice advocate. Healthcare outcomes should not be based on the linguistic ability of a client, interpreter, or educator, as we all have the opportunity to change the narrative.

Objectives:

1. Learners will define the Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best Practices (HSSOBP) and be able to apply one standard into interpreter simulation-based education.
2. Learners will create a CLAS scenario outline that follows the Simulation Standards of Best Practice (HSSOBP) that explores linguistic considerations.
3. Learners will construct two strategies to facilitate a monolingual debrief looking at multi-lingual scenario.
4. Learners will compare and contrast different types of experiential learning with interpreter training.

We have created a 5-minute, self-paced AI-powered chat simulation that immerses clinicians in the experience of seeking care without language support. This interactive tool fosters empathy and highlights the critical role of interpreters, making clinicians more likely to engage language services in practice. Co-designed with community partners, the intervention aligns with national priorities for equitable care and offers a scalable, technology-driven approach to improving access, experience, and outcomes across diverse populations. It was created in RISEUP, an AHRQ-funded initiative addressing health equity gaps by integrating medical and social care.

Objectives:

1. Name three common barriers to interpreter utilization in clinical settings.
2. Explain the importance of microlearning and mindset shifts in professional education.
3. Describe how immersive AI simulations can influence clinician behavior toward equitable care.
4. Find ways to train clinicians better in their own organizations using empathy-driven, technology-enabled approaches.

Pediatric surgery is already an overwhelming space for families — add stress, fear, and big medical emotions, and communication becomes mission-critical. Interpreters are often the bridge that keeps everything steady. But one partner we don’t always highlight enough is the Child Life Specialist (CLS). These professionals guide children and their families through procedures with developmentally appropriate prep, emotional support, and coping tools that make a world of difference. This session will introduce interpreters to the unique goals and responsibilities of CLSs in the perioperative process and explore strategies for effective collaboration. Participants will gain practical skills to support CLS-led interventions for patients, siblings, and caregivers, while maintaining professional interpreting standards. Through interactive role-play and discussion, attendees will learn best practices and common pitfalls when interpreting for child life services, ultimately strengthening human connections in an evolving healthcare landscape.

Objectives:

1. Review the Role of Child Life Specialists: Describe the core objectives and interventions of CLSs in perioperative settings, focusing on emotional support, coping strategies, and family-centered care.
2. Strengthen Collaborative Skills: Identify practical techniques interpreters can use to support CLS-led interactions with patients, siblings, and caregivers while maintaining accuracy, neutrality, and trust.
3. Utilize Child Life Communication Tools Effectively: Interpret accurately when CLSs use visual aids, medical play, metaphors, or distraction tools, ensuring families receive the full intent and impact of the intervention.
4. Apply Best Practices Through Role-Play: Demonstrate effective interpreting behaviors in simulated child life scenarios, using hands-on practice to reinforce ethical boundaries, situational awareness, and communication strategies.

“All the world’s a stage” and training, presenting, and interpreting are included in this sentiment. The art of theatre is one that is often overlooked because it is seen as something useless. However, anyone who has ever taken a theatre class will tell you that the applications of the skills learned in theatre classes are endless and will make you a better person, trainer, presenter, and interpreter. During this session we will learn about how the theatrical skills of self-awareness, observation, and communication can be transferred from theatre to training, presenting, and interpreting.

Objectives: 

1. Attendees will experiment with Self-Awareness activities to become more authentic.
2. Attendees will apply Observation techniques to better understand meaning in communication.
3. Attendees will practice Communication skills for effective communication.
4. Attendees will demonstrate how to warm-up their bodies and voices for work.

As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms communication across industries, medical interpreters are uniquely positioned to benefit from its potential—when used safely and ethically. This presentation introduces interpreters to the fundamentals of AI and demonstrates how these tools can enhance preparation, accuracy, and continuing education in healthcare settings without compromising patient privacy or professional integrity.

Objectives:

1. Discuss what artificial intelligence is.
2. Practice leveraging AI to prepare for an encounter.
3. Review Safe and Compliant AI practices.
4. Evaluate ways to integrate AI into interpreting workflows.

Idiomatic expressions—those colorful, culture-bound phrases found in every language—can be both delightful and daunting. Their literal meanings often mislead, offering few clues to their true meaning and creating confusion for those outside the culture. Understanding idioms requires more than vocabulary; it demands insight into the history, humor, and the traditions that shaped them.

In this presentation, we’ll explore how recognizing and discovering equivalent idiomatic expressions across cultures can enhance accurate, confident interpretation and translation. Participants will be invited to uncover parallels within their own languages and cultural backgrounds, empowering them to convey meaning—not just meaningless words—with clarity and authenticity.

Objectives:

1. Explore how culture, history, and humor shape the idioms we use every day.
2. Discover what makes idiomatic expressions so tricky—and fun—to work with across different languages.
3. Share and compare similar idioms from your own language or culture to find surprising connections.
4. Practice ways to interpret and translate idioms so your meaning comes through clearly and naturally.

In an era of shifting healthcare landscapes and evolving patient demographics, professional medical interpreters serve as steady voices bridging communication gaps for Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients. However, acritical disconnect exists between healthcare providers’ recognition of interpretation needs and their actual utilization of professional interpreters. This phenomenological study examines the lived experiences of qualified and certified medical interpreters working with Spanish-speaking LEP patients to illuminate this persistent gap and its profound impact on patient outcomes.

Through in-depth interviews with experienced medical interpreters (minimum 3 years' experience) working across onsite, over-the-phone (OPI), and video remote interpreting (VRI) modalities, this research reveals that professional interpreters are utilized only one-third of the time during medical encounters, even when providers identify the need for interpretation services. This utilization gap contributes to adverse patient events, with an estimated annual cost of $3.4 billion in preventable complications for LEP patients.

The study findings highlight the paradox facing healthcare institutions: while federal mandates (Title VI, ACA Section 1557, CLAS standards) require language access, systemic barriers—including cost concerns ($45-150/hour for in-person services, $1.25-3.49/minute for remote services), inadequate staffing models, and lack of24/7 qualified interpreter availability—perpetuate underutilization of professional services. Despite the proven benefits of professional interpreters in reducing medical errors, decreasing malpractice risk, and improving patient comprehension and satisfaction, the gap between need recognition and service utilization remains a persistent challenge.

This presentation will explore the interpreters’ perspectives on navigating these "shifting sands" of healthcare delivery while maintaining their role as "steady voices" for LEP patients. Key discussion points include: the hidden costs of interpreter underutilization, strategies for improving integration of professional interpreting services, and recommendations for healthcare institutions to bridge the utilization gap.

Objectives:

1. Identify the primary factors contributing to the gap between recognized need and actual utilization of professional medical interpreters in clinical settings.
2. Analyze the financial and clinical impact of interpreter underutilization on LEP patient outcomes and healthcare system costs.
3. Evaluate current barriers preventing consistent use of qualified and certified interpreters despite federal mandates and institutional policies.
4. Develop actionable strategies to improve integration and utilization of professional interpreting services in their healthcare settings.

The rapid evolution of healthcare delivery has left interpreter training curricula behind, revealing a disconnect between classroom learning and the real-world needs of patients and healthcare institutions in multicultural and multilingual communities, such as New York City. In this presentation, we will examine emerging challenges in medical interpreter education from three key perspectives: the interpreter providing services in person, by phone, or remotely; the healthcare organization that contracts interpretation services and conducts quality control; and the educator responsible for training medical interpreters with tools and resources adapted to today’s job market.

We will explore critical gaps in interpreter preparation, with particular attention to unconscious bias and its impact on patient care, the unique communication demands of palliative care settings where cultural sensitivity and human connection are paramount, and the urgent need for emotional support systems to address interpreter vicarious trauma and burnout. We will also examine interpreter and patient safety protocols that are often overlooked in traditional curricula. Join us to explore evidence-based strategies for adapting medical interpreter training in the United States, ensuring that interpreters are equipped not only with linguistic skills but also with the emotional resilience and cultural competencies essential for bridging language barriers, building trust, and advocating effectively—regardless of the delivery modality.

Objectives:

1. Discuss and highlight the importance of keeping track of interpreting experience and emotions.
2. Practice how to develop the habit of jotting down the thoughts, reflections, and emotions as they happen.
3. Discuss how to share your experience and even frustrations with your colleagues and co-workers.
4. Demonstrate how to expand and enrich your notes and writings for a wider audience and larger impacts.

Refueling, recharging, and refocusing are essential in navigating the road to success in the profession of interpreting. Just as racecar drivers must not only master the skills of accelerating, braking, and turning, they must also develop the mental skills of timing and strategy to succeed on the track. Similarly, interpreters must develop perceptive skills that enable them to not only say the right things but to say them at the right time and the right way. This is where soft skills and emotional intelligence can make the difference between success and failure in interpreting. This presentation will explore the critical unseen elements of successful interpreted encounters.

Objectives:

1. Define key soft skills and explain their relevance to the interpreting profession.
2. Identify the core components of emotional intelligence and demonstrate why they are vital to successful interpreted encounters.
3. Connect soft skills and emotional intelligence to real-world interpreting scenarios to illustrate their combined impact.
4. Explore how emotional intelligence facilitates the implementation of ethics and best practices in the interpreted encounter.