The Essentials: Medical Edition

Consecutive Exercises

This volume of The ESSENTIALS: Medical Edition includes ten different consecutive practice dialogues closely based on authentic medical screenings and doctor-patient interactions. The dialogues represent typical scenarios encountered by medical interpreters. The ten exercises are divided into three difficulty levels: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. The following health topics and illnesses are represented in the exercises:

Beginning:
Exercise 1: Sra. Muñoz’s Father and His Confusion
Exercise 2: Sr. Acuña’s Fever
Exercise 3: Sra. López’s Abdominal Pain
Exercise 4: Carlos’s Immunization

Intermediate:
Exercise 5: Srta. Félix’s Depression
Exercise 6: Arturo’s Heart Condition
Exercise 7: Sra. Figueroa and Feeling Faint

Advanced:
Exercise 8: Sr. Murillo’s Diabetes
Exercise 9: Srta. Machado’s Herpes
Exercise 10: Sr. Aguirre and AIDS

Use the Consecutive Source Disk when practicing the consecutive mode. In each dialogue an English-speaking doctor (or, in some cases, an English-speaking social worker) interviews a Spanish-speaking patient concerning a particular segment of medical care or delivery, including counseling, diagnosis, or treatment.

To replicate a language laboratory-type learning experience and maximize the benefit of your practice, the National Center for Interpretation recommends that you:
  1. First, listen to the Consecutive Source Disk and follow along with the script before attempting to interpret.
  2. Then, listen again without the script, but - shadow - the speakers; that is, interpret silently to yourself as you listen.
  3. After doing this a few times, listen to the Consecutive Source Disk again using headphones, this time interpreting during the pauses and recording the interpretation on your own recording unit.
  4. You should then listen to your recorded rendition and analyze your performance. Compare your renditions to the glossary for each exercise. What was particularly challenging? How accurate was your rendition? How was your speed and pacing? Did your rendition sound - natural? -
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