Bimodal bilingual interpreting in the U.S. healthcare system
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Laurie Swabey
Abstract
Legislation guarantees communication access in the United States healthcare system for deaf citizens and this access is often made possible by bimodal bilingual interpreters, individuals fluent in spoken and signed languages. Yet there is a conspicuous lack of research on interpreted discourse in this setting. With the exception of research on mental health interpreting, not a single article investigating the practice of bimodal interpreting in the U.S. healthcare system has been published in a refereed journal, although interpreters work in healthcare with increasing frequency. This article examines this deficit in research, beginning with a review of the diagnostic benefits of language access in healthcare settings. Next, the demand for bimodal interpreting is examined in light of historical factors, legislative mandates, and linguistic research on American Sign Language. The lack of scholarship in bimodal interpreting and the potential impact of developing a specialization in healthcare interpreting are discussed. Finally, with the view of interpreting as an applied linguistic activity, critical research questions about interpretation between deaf and non-signing interlocutors in the healthcare setting are provided.
Abstract
Legislation guarantees communication access in the United States healthcare system for deaf citizens and this access is often made possible by bimodal bilingual interpreters, individuals fluent in spoken and signed languages. Yet there is a conspicuous lack of research on interpreted discourse in this setting. With the exception of research on mental health interpreting, not a single article investigating the practice of bimodal interpreting in the U.S. healthcare system has been published in a refereed journal, although interpreters work in healthcare with increasing frequency. This article examines this deficit in research, beginning with a review of the diagnostic benefits of language access in healthcare settings. Next, the demand for bimodal interpreting is examined in light of historical factors, legislative mandates, and linguistic research on American Sign Language. The lack of scholarship in bimodal interpreting and the potential impact of developing a specialization in healthcare interpreting are discussed. Finally, with the view of interpreting as an applied linguistic activity, critical research questions about interpretation between deaf and non-signing interlocutors in the healthcare setting are provided.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Opening quote xi
- Introduction 1
- Researching interpreting 5
- Designing a research project 27
- Identifying and interpreting scientific phenomena 47
- The first three years of a three-year grant 59
- Methodology in interpreting studies 85
- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise? 121
- “Mark my words” 153
- Developing and transmitting a shared interpreting research ethos 177
- Profession in pentimento 199
- Through a historical lens 225
- Bimodal bilingual interpreting in the U.S. healthcare system 241
- Index 261
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Opening quote xi
- Introduction 1
- Researching interpreting 5
- Designing a research project 27
- Identifying and interpreting scientific phenomena 47
- The first three years of a three-year grant 59
- Methodology in interpreting studies 85
- If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise? 121
- “Mark my words” 153
- Developing and transmitting a shared interpreting research ethos 177
- Profession in pentimento 199
- Through a historical lens 225
- Bimodal bilingual interpreting in the U.S. healthcare system 241
- Index 261
