Hi, I’m Marisa. I’m a graduate student in Interpreting Studies at Western Oregon University, a Certified Healthcare Interpreter (CHI-Spanish), a CCHI Commissioner, and I’ve been a practicing healthcare interpreter since 2006. Through my work with Tica Interpreter Training and Translations (Tica TnT), I train medical interpreters across the country. This blog is where I process what I’m learning in grad school, reflect on nearly two decades of experience, and share insights that I hope will support the field. I’m using this space to educate myself—and bring what I learn back to the interpreters and LEP patients we serve every day.

Medical Interpreting as a Practice Profession:
Reflections for Interpreters and Educators

May 5, 2025
Written by Marisa Rueda Will, CHI-Spanish

As an interpreter trainer and content creator, my mind is constantly spinning with new ways to process what I’m learning and pass it on to others. This past year as a graduate student at Western Oregon University, I’ve done a lot of academic reading—reading that is reshaping how I teach and how I view my role in interpreter education.

One of the most transformative concepts I’ve encountered is the idea that medical interpreting is a practice profession. According to Dean and Pollard (2005), interpreters

“cannot deliver effective professional service armed only with [their] technical knowledge of source and target languages, culture, and a code of ethics… [they] must supplement [this] with input, exchange, and judgment regarding the consumers [they] are serving in a specific environment and in a specific communicative situation” (p. 259).

In plain terms: we are not just language machines. We are skilled professionals making real-time decisions, analyzing interpersonal dynamics, and adapting to context-specific needs—just like other members of the healthcare team.

Theory as a Tool: The Effort Model of Interpreting

One framework that helped me better understand the cognitive load of interpreting is Daniel Gile’s Effort Model (2009). This model illustrates how various mental processes must be managed simultaneously in real-time language transfer.

Simultaneous Interpreting Formula:
SI = L (Listening) + P (Production) + M (Memory) + C (Coordination)

True Consecutive Interpreting (Two Phases):
Phase 1: Listening + Note-taking + Memory + Coordination
Phase 2: Recall + Note-reading + Production + Coordination

Rethinking Consecutive: Are We Actually Teaching It Correctly?

One of the most eye-opening moments for me this year came when I read Gile’s definition of true consecutive. What many of us call “consecutive” isn’t consecutive at all.

“True consecutive… is classified as when the speakers’ uninterrupted utterances are at least a few sentences long, as opposed to sentence-by-sentence in which there is no systematic note-taking” (Gile, 2009, p. 175).

Let that sink in.

If you’re pausing the provider after every sentence and calling that consecutive interpreting—but you’re not using structured notes—you’re not teaching or practicing true consecutive.

This realization should serve as a wake-up call for interpreter educators and practitioners alike. How often do we:

Teach “slow it down” without teaching memory retention strategies?

Default to sentence-by-sentence interpreting out of habit or convenience?

Avoid systematic note-taking because we assume it’s too advanced?

True consecutive demands different strategies, deeper processing, and intentional training. It’s not about control—it’s about complexity.

Process-Based Learning: Teaching the “How,” Not Just the “What”

Another framework I found impactful comes from González Davies (2005), who promotes a process-based approach to interpreter education. Rather than just measuring the final product, this model values how students get there.

“An awareness of the translation strategies and solutions used by professional translators is reinforced by students’ reflection on those they use themselves… This approach increases their self-confidence… and contributes to greater coherence, quality, and speed” (p. 74).

By encouraging students to reflect on their strategies, we help them build confidence, accuracy, and speed.

When Language Pairing Isn’t Possible: English-to-English (EtoE) as a Training Tool

A common challenge in interpreter education is working with students who don’t have a practice partner in their language pair. My proposed solution: English-to-English training using skill-specific exercises.

The CCHI ETOE exam already provides a solid framework. It assesses core competencies that every interpreter can develop—even without a bilingual partner.

To support this, I created a free paraphrasing activity that’s entirely in English:

🎥 Watch the exercise on YouTube

📝 Download the worksheet

This model gives students the chance to practice processing, reformulating, and retaining meaning—all without needing a partner.

Final Thoughts

Medical interpreting is complex, cognitive, and contextual. We are not passive conduits—we are dynamic, thinking professionals. The more we embrace process-based learning and cognitive models like Gile’s, the more prepared our students (and colleagues) will be to thrive in the field.

This is interpreting as a practice profession. And it deserves training, attention, and respect that reflects that reality.

References

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters. (2023). 2023 ETOE examination outline. https://cchicertification.org/uploads/2023-ETOE-Examination-Outline.pdf

Dean, R. K., & Pollard, R. Q. (2005). Consumers and service effectiveness in interpreting work: A practice profession perspective. In M. Marschark, R. Peterson, & E. A. Winston (Eds.), Sign language interpreting and interpreter education: Directions for research and practice (pp. 259–282). Oxford University Press.

Gile, D. (2009). Basic concepts and models for interpreter and translator training (pp. 93–176). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

González Davies, M. (2005). Minding the process, improving the product: Alternatives to traditional translator training. In M. Tennent (Ed.), Training for the new millennium: Pedagogies for translation and interpreting (pp. 67–82). John Benjamins Publishing Company.