MedSIG (the Medical Special Interest Group) has been busy this year running trainings for healthcare interpreters all over the region! So far, we have offered:

•          January: Interpreting for Cancer Genetics, Tacoma
•          February: Transitioning to Simultaneous Interpreting, Renton
•          March: Fundamentals of Health Care Interpreting, Spokane (Cancelled due to low registration)
•          May: Notetaking and Sight Translation, Tacoma
•          June: Medical Terminology, Yakima

The schedule for the rest of the year promises to be just as busy, with classes coming up on glossary building, pediatric cancer, bone marrow transplants, cardiology and perhaps a special three-part master’s class on interpreter notetaking.

Even more exciting are three new additions to our cadre of trainers – Joe Tien from Whidbey Island, Yvonne Simpson from Seattle, and Dr. Sofia Garcia Beyaert from Spain, now living in Seattle.

Joe Tein is a DSHS-certified medical interpreter and a Washington State certified court interpreter. He holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology and is also a freelance medical translator, working from Spanish and Italian into English. Some of you may know Joe as the creator of the AOC Court Interpreters’ English-Spanish glossary of legal terms, but did you know that he is also an author of the most comprehensive Italian medical acronym website? He has taught numerous classes and workshops for medical and court interpreters over the years, both in person and through online webinars, and his recent workshop on medical terminology in Yakima was very well received.

Yvonne Simpson is the Medical Interpreter Supervisor at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She holds a Master of Arts in Spanish (Linguistics) and has significant experience in interpreting, translating, teaching and training. Yvonne is a DSHS Certified Spanish Medical Interpreter and is a Certified Medical Interpreter through the National Board. Formerly, she was the Lead Interpreter at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona. We’re lucky to have Yvonne here in Seattle, and especially lucky to have her training with NOTIS. 

Sofia Garcia Beyaert is a NOTIS board member and a practicing interpreter, as well as a researcher in the field of public policy and cross-linguistic communication. With a BA in applied languages and a focus on legal and economic translation, Sofia took additional specialized training in conference interpreting at the Universidad de Granada. She also holds an MA in social and political science from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona) and a PhD from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona after writing her dissertation on the institutionalization of community interpreting. Sofia has taught post-graduate and master’s classes in community interpreting and is a co-author of The Community Interpreter, International Edition from Cross-Cultural Communications. With credentials like these, guess who might be teaching a master’s class on interpreter notetaking this fall? But no need to wait till September to meet Sofia; watch for her upcoming class in August on glossary building for interpreters and come give her a warm NOTIS welcome.

With more trainers and with a growing active committee, MedSIG’s goal is to better serve an interpreter community of diverse skill levels, living in diverse parts of the state and looking for training in diverse modalities. What’s next? Trainings in Bellingham? Webinars? Offerings for social service and educational interpreters? Stay tuned and find out, or share your own suggestions!