A bad interpreter will:
1. Add or omit information
2. Use appointment time to judge and berate healthcare providers
3. Make a scene and draw attention away from provider and patient and put it on themselves
4. Insist on professional training protocols without using critical thinking skills
5. Not know vocabulary in all registers
6. Be seemingly uninterested in being present at an appointment
7. Have a lot of background noise when doing a remote session
8. Not speak English well or clearly
9. Interpret wrong information so provider, patient or family member has to correct
10. Be rude to everyone but the provider and patient
None of these things represent a professional interpreter. Bad interpreting adds no value to an encounter and brings providers to seek other means of communication – like Google translate. If you find yourself working with one of these interpreters inform your administrators to assure you don’t have to do it again.
Please share your thoughts on this list. Do you have any experience with bad interpreters?