Volunteer interpreter handbook

The University Hospital has an Interpreting Service Department that helps to coordinate and facilitate interpreting appointments in a variety of languages. These appointments take place in clinics throughout the hospital as well as Research Park. While Interpreting Services maintains the use of a hired staff that have both had experience and been trained, they depend on volunteer interpreters to help provide help when needed. Many of these volunteer interpreters have had experience living in countries outside of the United States, but have not had direct exposure to interpreting within the healthcare system. Employees of Interpreting Services offer a "Bridging the Gap" training for volunteer interpreters twice a year to help provide basic interpretation instruction. Service-Learning Scholars met with representatives of the Interpreting Services Department to help construct a handbook that might be used in conjunction with their training program. This handbook will serve as a resource with which new volunteer interpreters can orient themselves within the hospital, as well as with the skills necessary to play the role of interpreter. The Interpreters Office will be supplied with several hard copies of the handbook, as well as an electronic version to allow future edits and additions.