This day is celebrated every 30th of September and has been promoted and emphasized by International Federation of Translators, which was established in 1953. This day is celebrated on the feast of St. Jerome, who is the patron saint for all translators, as he was the first one to translate the Bible.

A recently published study provides us with some very interesting facts regarding issues in healthcare for people with limited English proficiency (LEP’s).

The study presented in April at the American Heart Association’s 10th Scientific Forum on “Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke” in Washington, D.C. seems to show that the survival rate in heart attack victims with limited English proficiency is lower than in those who are fluent in English. Some of the findings of the study are that

• only 50 % of LEP’s compared to 73% of those fluent in English received help from a bystander,
• the time for dispatchers with limited English proficiency to recognize the need for CPR was 33 seconds longer,
• the interval from when a call was made to initializing CPR is 82 seconds longer for LEP callers.

These delays in CPR are considered to be the cause for a survival rate of only 4% in LEP’s compared to 14% in fluent English speakers. The results of this study are horrifying but not necessarily surprising to the interpreting community. Once again they demonstrate the urgent need to invest in language access.

Bromberg & Associates recently launched its language-specific online training programs for legal interpreters – www.InterpreterEducationOnline.com .

Initially, the programs will be available for Russian, Arabic, Bosnian, Polish, Croatian, Hmong, Serbian, Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters.  The list of languages available for training will be continuously expanded.  The course offers open enrollment, i.e. students can sign up anytime and start within two weeks after the registration.

InterpreterEducationOnline.com courses offer three main options to fit individual needs.

• The first program is a basic three-unit course developed for aspiring bilinguals entering the field of legal interpretation.
• The second is an eight-unit comprehensive training course for legal interpreters.
• The third option features single-topic units dedicated to various areas of legal interpretation, such as Vehicular Accident, Firearms, Physical Evidence and more.  These units can be completed in a short amount of time and are offered at highly affordable rates.

Stay tuned here for updates and additional course offering announcements!