A while back we invited medical interpreters to finish a sentence that began “You might be a medical interpreter if. . .” We had a great response and a lot of fun with that post, so we thought we’d shine the spotlight on medical interpreter managers and invite them to finish a similar sentence.

Below are the responses we recieved. We hope some of the sentence-finishers warm, tickle, and touch your heart.

You might be a medical interpreter manager if. . .

. . . you keep an ample supply of Kleenex in your office. You never know when your team is going to have a rough day and need to debrief.

. . . you’ve had to battle to get private office space because administrators aren’t aware of the sensitive conversations that managers need to have with their team.

. . . you have nightmares about your entire team quitting at once.

. . . you know the names of dozens of languages but are only fluent in one.

. . . you were hired to lead the organization’s IT department, but you have somehow been “nominated” to also lead the interpreter services department.

. . . you’ve learned the names of more languages than you knew existed within your first 48 hours on the job.

. . . you are thorough and proficient in your medical terminology and are passionate about your profession.

. . . your office hours are 8 to 5 but you work 24/7.

. . . you never worry about having a quiet staff meeting because your team is not shy about talking in front of others.

. . . the passion you have for your career makes you want to lead people into a cultural change.

. . . you have gotten really good at tactfully replying to individuals who call to say, “I need to cancel the interpreter that we ordered for tomorrow,” and many other variations involving the “ordering” of an interpreter.

. . . you got the position, in part, because you’re an awesome interpreter and quickly learned that managing a team requires a whole new skill set. But you’re up for the challenge.

. . . you have nightmares about your entire team calling in sick on the same day. Then you wake up and remind yourself that you have plans in place for just this type of situation.

. . . you’ve only seen 2D images of your team because you manage remotely, and all your connections are through video conferencing.

Interpreter managers, we salute you in the work you do! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this collection!

Got another sentence-finisher? Please add it to the comments box below!