Emergency VR Interpreter Confidence.....

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Permalink Reply by Heather Nicole Griffis King on May 18, 2009 at 11:15am

I used to be certified in CPR, but it lapsed a long time ago. I think it is something that would be very helpful to many VIs. I know that when the 911 bell dings, it causes my stomach to jump. I would probably put myself at like a 5 on my knowledge scale of this. I would be really interested in a workshop or something to make myself more comfortable with emergency situations.

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Permalink Reply by Sher on May 18, 2009 at 11:29am

I think a workshop would be great! I am always looking for things to tuck away in my brain's "terp file". I feel fairly confident when i have to interpret Emegency situations... whether it be VRS OR community... but 911 in VRS setting has a different dynamic and I feel it would be beneficial to have more guidance in that area.

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Permalink Reply by Helen Dickey on May 18, 2009 at 12:21pm

I'm not sure my answer will be really helpful. I used to be a Wilderness EMT, so I'm feeling at a level 10 on knowledge confidence for life-saving instructions, even though it's been years since I had my EMT certification. Anatomy and physiology and medicine have always fascinated me, so I remember a lot. However, like Heather says, the 911 calls always make my stomach jump just b/c of the urgent nature of the call and my worries that I may miss or miscommunicate vital information in some way. So my confidence level in processing true emergency 911 calls is more like a 6 maybe? 7 maybe? I guess I'm not always sure. Hope that helps! I think any workshop in handling 911 calls would benefit all of us!

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Permalink Reply by Tammy Arwood on May 19, 2009 at 4:29am

I would say that my confidence level falls at about a 7. I have done many many hours of freelance medical interpreting. I was required to take a CPR class years ago (I wouldn't mind a refresher course). However, when a 911 call comes in I still get that fight or flight feeling, know what I mean? I am nervous, but the few true emergencies that have come in I was able to feel successful at the end of call. I think that fight or flight kind of feeling is really a normal thing that happens to any kind of situation when it is an emergency. I think the key in these kinds of calls is our ability as a VI to be able to calm ourself, keep a level head, and to acurately convey the conversation realizing that we may have to go above and beyond the traditional interpreting role.

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Permalink Reply by Summer Chappell on May 19, 2009 at 4:43am

I think my confidence with an emergency call currently sits at a 9. Everyday I walk in with varying confidence but overall I feel able to do the job regarding effectively interpreting the information for an emergency situation. For a true life saving instructions, I am a confident 7. I would like to know that I have a good bit of knowledge but will always need to learn more. Thanks Will for bringing up this topic! Have a good one!

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Permalink Reply by Cat on May 19, 2009 at 5:02am

Good topic! I have been trained and have interpreted many many CPR/First Aide certification classes; but like some of you I have let mine lapse. Anyhow, when it comes to the 911 calls...I am pretty much ok confidence-wise (I would say 8.5)...altho that might change if I ever get the bloody ones! Even tho the flight/fight response kicks in, I tend to not pay it much mind until after the call. I would LOVE more in-depth workshops for 911 call-handling. I think the more exposure we have to those kind of calls the more comfortable and confident we will be in handling them.

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Permalink Reply by Stefan on May 20, 2009 at 11:12am

I have also not been CPR certified for quite some and would love to be re-certified in CPR and First Aid. I have done several ride alongs with EMT's, been a lifeguard for the better part of 5 years on the Pacific Coast line, Interpreted several emergency room settings, been a "good samaratian" with too many vehicle accidents on Interstates and Highways on both coast lines, Intepreted coutless CPR classes and First Aid. I've taken several E-911 calls as a VI and I would put myself at about a 9. Workshops on this subject matter are MORE than welcome. There's always a measure of high alert when those calls come in and to handle them well, calmly and more importantly to deal with the vicarious trauma(post call of course) should also be matter of concern. YES YES YES a workshop please!

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Permalink Reply by Julie Morgan on May 20, 2009 at 4:50pm

My comfort level is a 5. While I'm familiar with CPR, I don't have much personal or interpreting emergency experience. The ER/911 interpreting experiences I have had have been non-life threatening emergencies. Like several people have shared, I get nervous when a 911 call comes up, despite knowing the most important thing is to stay calm. I would definitely attend professional development in this area. I think doing role play scenarios would be especially helpful to practice being calm and interpreting a variety of scenarios.

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Permalink Reply by Daryl G Crouse on May 24, 2009 at 8:25am

I thought I would pass along this link: http://www.nena.org/video-ip-relay-911

You will notice there is a Model Standard Operating Procedures document that is distributed to 911 centers. I can say from personal experience that they did seek input from the interpreter community and Deaf community. Richard Ray from Los Angeles Department on Disabilities (Deaf himself) was heavily involved as well as others.

I'm going to see if Richard can may be get some actual 911 call recordings. A great exercise here, sort of a virtual workshop, would be to post the audio, then everyone could record themselves interpreting it. Obviously, there won't be ASL as a source language to work from but if there are some Deaf interpreters that you work with that would be willing to join the effort they could serve as source ASL models. As well as uploading their own interpretations or feedback on how to approach the various issues.

I'll keep you posted if I can get any recordings.

Best,
Daryl Crouse

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Permalink Reply by Will White on June 11, 2009 at 2:02pm

Thanks Daryl,
That would be a great help. I worked at our 911 center in Knoxville and will be able to get a few myself. I am working on a couple of ideas for this subject and will keep the group updated.

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Permalink Reply by Gina Gonzalez on September 1, 2009 at 12:38am

I would say a 9. However, this is not just a question of being well versed in CPR etc. it is about rendering the message effectively which would include linguistic skill too. My CDI (team) partner would render me a 10. I have a call processing service delivery model I call Caller-Pattern Recognition which enables me to determine what linguistic skill and empowering approach to apply in each call. Under this model, callers fall under 3 patterns Conduit-Mediator-Helper. Unfortunately, the Helper caller is usually subjected to linguistic struggles and oppression because we lack a widespread presence of CDI's (DIs) in a VRS setting. Excellent question for discussion. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Risa O on September 12, 2009 at 10:11pm

I agree on the linguistic skill thing. Someone where I work brought up the idea of using CDI's on a split screen system so that they can serve multiple centers from remote locations. Also, they would be ready to go at a moment's notice, whether you needed them on a 911 call or something else. Where do I find your Conduit-Mediator-Helper explanation? Is it all written out somewhere? Is it it one of your videos?

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