I have yet to meet a healthcare interpreter who doesn’t have a well-developed sense of humor. And thank goodness! Interpreting in the healthcare field is serious business. It involves immersing yourself in a lot of pain and suffering, tears and sorrow, heartache and hopeless cases. Taking time outside the interpreted encounter to relax, get silly, and allow yourself a good belly-laugh is a healthy way to build the stamina needed to get through the challenges of working in the medical setting.
Is laughter the best medicine? I couldn’t tell you. As a healthcare interpreter, I refrain from giving medical advice. But smart medical people suggest that laughter is beneficial to one’s well-being as these articles explain:
Stress Relief from Laughter? It’s No Joke by Mayo Clinic staff
Give Your Body a Boost – With Laughter by R. Morgan Griffin on WebMD
Laughter is good for your heart, according to a new University of Maryland Medical Center study
Of course, there are those who say laughter isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as this article reveals:
Is Laughter The Best Medicine? by Susan Brink for National Geographic
And I can see how one might want to avoid laughter if provoked by, say, The Joker (think Batman), but since he hangs out in Gotham City and is a fictional character, no need to get too worried.
But seriously, it can’t hurt to have a good laugh every now and then. So, in honor of healthcare interpreters’ sense of humor and the benefits of laughter, here are a couple of sites that just might tickle your funny bone:
Laughter Is the Best Medicine page on Facebook
The NCIHC’s linguistic humor collection on Pinterest
If you have a little more time on your hands and are in an appropriate place to play a video, these Brian Regan comedy sketches might get you giggling:
What movies, videos, websites, jokes, etc. get your sides splitting? Let us know, and share your laughter with others!
Feeling like you’re work has caused you to disconnect from your sense of humor? Learn ways to get your smile back and keep it shining throughout your career with Interpreting Is (Not) for the Feeble, an online continuing education course for medical interpreters.
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