About Helen Eby

Helen Eby grew up in Argentina, the land of the gauchos. She is certified as an English Spanish translator by ATA and as a Spanish interpreter by the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts and by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. She co-founded The Savvy Newcomer and the ¡Al rescate del español! blogs, both of which are team efforts to provide resources for other language professionals. She is also a founding board member of the Spanish Editors Association.

Language Skills Development

As interpreters and translators we are expected to constantly improve our language skills. This is part of our professional development. How can we do this? First, it helps to have an objective, independent evaluation of our skills. See the “Bilingual or Interpreter” page for ideas on that. Once we have been evaluated, we can target [...]

By |2017-10-14T15:58:35-07:00May 6th, 2014|Language Proficiency|

Use of notepads in medical interpreting

Students have told me that medical providers object to the use of notepads in the interpreting session. I have spoken to my neighbor, a physical therapist, and she told me that the HIPAA regulations are becoming more and more stringent. Medical offices are continually watching out for potential leaks of protected information. However, interpreters need [...]

By |2017-10-14T16:14:29-07:00April 30th, 2014|Interpreting Standards|

Remote Video Interpreting (VRI)

VRI is a growing segment of the interpreting practice. Here are a couple of articles to help you evaluate whether this will work for you. On Friday, February 7, the Cross Cultural Communications e-newsletter included some interesting statements about VRI. Please see a video from Marjory Bancroft with a message about VRI here. Here are [...]

By |2017-10-14T16:14:45-07:00February 12th, 2014|Interpreting Standards, Technology|

Foreign Language for Doctors?

How do we answer people who say they want to learn a foreign language so they can work with patients? There’s an interesting article online, called “Let’s not contribute to disparities” on the National Institutes of Health website. In the Federal Register announcement of the proposed rule on Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities posted [...]

By |2022-08-26T14:40:16-07:00February 11th, 2014|Interpreting Standards, Language Proficiency|
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