Towards Medical Interpretation Service in Hirakata (for Deaf and Foreign People) - The Third Forum

The dialogue about providing medical interpretation for deaf people and foreigners in Hirakata-shi (and beyond) continues on Sunday, June 17 at Tokai University Gyosei High School in Hirakata-shi. Dr. Kiyomi Takizawa from the Gunma University School of Medicine will discuss the use of the internet in medical interpretation. In this method, the interpreter does not need to be in the same physical location as the patient and/or doctor; Skype and other internet programs are used instead. Click on the above poster for more details in Japanese. For details in English see below:

Day, Date, Time: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 1:00 PM
Place: Tokai University Gyosei High School Media Center IT Corner (click here for map). The high school is a ten minute walk from the Murano Station on the Keihan Katano Line (three stops away from Hirakata-shi eki).
Admission: FREE.

This is the Third Forum dealing with this very important issue. How can foreigners and deaf people receive proper medical care without interpreters? The immediate goal of the organizing group is to have interpreters available at the new Hirakata City Hospital when it opens next year. The long term goal is to create a template for medical interpretation services throughout Japan. Please come and support the cause. The lecture will be in Japanese with Japanese Sign Language and English interpretation.

Click here for information about the First Forum.

Click here for information about the Second Forum.

Towards Medical Interpretation Service in Hirakata - The Second Forum Report and Photos

The Second Forum to discuss issues involved in seeking medical interpretation for Deaf people and foreigners in Hirakata-shi successfully took place on September 17. Almost 100 people came to study and support the cause of hospitals providing interpretation for non-Japanese speaking patients. Currently there is no system to provide medical interpretation for Deaf people and foreigners during treatments, consultations and emergencies.

Click here for background information about the First Forum.

Click here for the announcement for the Second Forum.

The keynote address at the Second Forum was given by Izabel Arocha, Executive Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association. She described the situation of medical interpretation in the United States, including major movements, laws and lawsuits that led to mandatory interpretation for non-English speakers at American hospitals. She also gave an overview about the interpretation profession, including training, challenges and professional development. She spoke about medical interpretation in other countries and also included information about sign language medical interpretation.

For me, Arocha's address had two powerful themes:

1) Sign languages are real languages, the same as spoken languages. Hearing and Deaf people equally need medical interpretation.

2) Interpretation is a real job, and a tough one at that. It needs extensive training and professional development as well as cooperation with parties and institutions involved in the process. Competency in a language does not mean a person can automatically and competently interpret.

These two points desperately need to be understood in Japan. Japanese Sign Language is a real language and JSL interpreters need to be treated as professionals, the same as interpreters of French, English and other spoken languages. JSL should not be tied to social welfare and offered as a volunteer service. A hearing person who can communicate in JSL cannot be expected to be a competent interpreter without proper interpretation training.

I wasn't able to take as many photos at the Second Forum as I did at the First because I had other responsibilities this time around. Hopefully you can get the idea of the supportive environment during our exploration of this important issue. Thanks to all the volunteers and staff members who put in so much work for the meeting. A Third and Fourth Forum are in the planning stages. Stay tuned to VAOJ for announcements. Please support this important cause.

よろしくお願いします。

Link to International Medical Interpreters Association: http://www.imiaweb.org/

Towards Medical Interpretation Service in Hirakata (for Deaf and Foreign People) - The Second Forum

After the success of the First Forum in May, the Second Forum for Medical Interpretation will take place on Saturday, September 17, 2011. The Executive Director of the International Medical Interpretation Association, Izabel Arocha, will speak about the state of medical interpretation in the United States. Please join us as we continue to study and discuss the lack of interpreters for Deaf people and foreigners in Japan. Click on the posters above for more information and directions to the event in Hirakata-shi, Osaka, Japan. Admission is free. English, Japanese and JSL interpretation will be available.

Link to information about the First Forum: http://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2011/05/towards-medical-interpretation-service.html

Towards Medical Interpretation Service in Hirakata (for Deaf and Foreign People)

The first forum to discuss the problems of providing medical interpretation for deaf people and foreigners was held yesterday in Hirakata-shi, Osaka. Almost 200 people attended (to the joy and relief of organizers) in this first attempt to bring deaf people and foreigners together to discuss their experiences and needs in medical interpretation (indeed the room was so packed it was difficult to move around to take pictures). There was a keynote lecture, a discussion panel and comments from audience members (see below posters for speaker details). This is just the first of these forums. The goals of the organizing group are lofty: providing interpretation for deaf people and foreigners locally, especially at the new city hospital to open in 2013, and to provide a template for these kinds of services throughout Japan. To this end many volunteers and experts are joining together. Stay tuned to VAOJ for more information about future forums. (I will also update this post with more photos in the near future).

UPDATE: SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE EVENT!
LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28133281@N00/sets/72157626905579528/