A Brief History of Medical Interpreting
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(Last Updated On: April 29, 2015)
In earlier civilizations, interpreters were employed to help royalties and people in power to understand people of conquered nations and territories. These interpreters can be traced back to the Egyptians who documented them in hieroglyphic images. Eventually, interpreters were hired to assist leaders in not only building empires and nations but also in connecting with other countries they may gain power over and have access to their riches and land. This was evident during the medieval time when interpreters were regarded highly for their skills, some of them even becoming members of the court or circles of the royal entourage.
In the later part of the 19th and 20th century, interpreting was used to primarily aid leaders and diplomats in promoting peace and unity among nations. Diplomatic academies and programs were established to give interpreters the training and enhancements they would need in interpreting for world leaders. It even made them important members of the United Nations council which paved the way for peace agreements and understanding among many nations.
Still later, interpreting moved on to include over-the-phone interpreting, direct and consecutive interpreting and many others. This is the time medical interpreting appeared.
From the time Alexander Graham Bell made that first telephone, a lot of progresses have taken place in the development of this device. Such developments led to more discoveries that enabled the progressions of means through which the telephone is now greatly regarded as a primary medium of communication for people in different locations and in distant regions of the world.
Because not all peoples in the world speak and understand the same language, and that there is no single and uniform language established to be used for communication – the practice of interpreting did the world a huge favor. Medical interpreting has gone a long way since the early civilizations used it when conquering cities and countries. Royalties and diplomats have used it to foster unity and peace among nations. Interpreting is also utilized by business enterprises and individuals in venturing into more opportunities to expand their operation and networks to a bigger number of audiences. Interpreting has greatly helped in connecting people, and it has reinforced the ties that bind all members of humanity.
A specialized field of interpreting is OPI or over the phone interpreting. This was first used in the 1970s when Australia deemed it necessary to establish a service that would help immigrants whose number, at that time, was increasingly growing. The service was free of charge and proved to be effective in the way immigrants and locals conduct business and foster personal and professional relations with each other.
In 1981, the first OPI was established in the United States. Over time, it grew in popularity and patronage from financial services and other establishments of the public and private sectors. In the next ten to twenty years, telephone interpreting became more sophisticated and advanced as to improve quality in the process of interpretation. Alongside this, health care and medical services were improved through medical interpreting. So much was the development that a separate field for health care and medical interpreting was established to cater exclusively to this specific area.
Doctors, health clinics and patients all benefited generously from this move. The reason was clearly because the health and medical industry requires specific terminologies and procedures that may not be provided in other industries. It became so in-demand in the 21st century that employment for medical interpreters soared greatly.
Now, the world turns to medical interpreting to understand a more diverse and otherwise incomprehensible field of science that makes health concerns and threats a thing of the past.
Medical interpreting history
Communication media have changed drastically in the last century, especially during the last two decades of this era. With numerous changes in the technology being utilized in communicating with other people, bonds and ties have been strengthened, business operations have been enhanced, and government and health care services have been elevated to a higher degree, even the way people get information and entertainment from each other have affected a larger number of people in so many ways.In earlier civilizations, interpreters were employed to help royalties and people in power to understand people of conquered nations and territories. These interpreters can be traced back to the Egyptians who documented them in hieroglyphic images. Eventually, interpreters were hired to assist leaders in not only building empires and nations but also in connecting with other countries they may gain power over and have access to their riches and land. This was evident during the medieval time when interpreters were regarded highly for their skills, some of them even becoming members of the court or circles of the royal entourage.
In the later part of the 19th and 20th century, interpreting was used to primarily aid leaders and diplomats in promoting peace and unity among nations. Diplomatic academies and programs were established to give interpreters the training and enhancements they would need in interpreting for world leaders. It even made them important members of the United Nations council which paved the way for peace agreements and understanding among many nations.
Still later, interpreting moved on to include over-the-phone interpreting, direct and consecutive interpreting and many others. This is the time medical interpreting appeared.
From the time Alexander Graham Bell made that first telephone, a lot of progresses have taken place in the development of this device. Such developments led to more discoveries that enabled the progressions of means through which the telephone is now greatly regarded as a primary medium of communication for people in different locations and in distant regions of the world.
Because not all peoples in the world speak and understand the same language, and that there is no single and uniform language established to be used for communication – the practice of interpreting did the world a huge favor. Medical interpreting has gone a long way since the early civilizations used it when conquering cities and countries. Royalties and diplomats have used it to foster unity and peace among nations. Interpreting is also utilized by business enterprises and individuals in venturing into more opportunities to expand their operation and networks to a bigger number of audiences. Interpreting has greatly helped in connecting people, and it has reinforced the ties that bind all members of humanity.
A specialized field of interpreting is OPI or over the phone interpreting. This was first used in the 1970s when Australia deemed it necessary to establish a service that would help immigrants whose number, at that time, was increasingly growing. The service was free of charge and proved to be effective in the way immigrants and locals conduct business and foster personal and professional relations with each other.
In 1981, the first OPI was established in the United States. Over time, it grew in popularity and patronage from financial services and other establishments of the public and private sectors. In the next ten to twenty years, telephone interpreting became more sophisticated and advanced as to improve quality in the process of interpretation. Alongside this, health care and medical services were improved through medical interpreting. So much was the development that a separate field for health care and medical interpreting was established to cater exclusively to this specific area.
Doctors, health clinics and patients all benefited generously from this move. The reason was clearly because the health and medical industry requires specific terminologies and procedures that may not be provided in other industries. It became so in-demand in the 21st century that employment for medical interpreters soared greatly.
Now, the world turns to medical interpreting to understand a more diverse and otherwise incomprehensible field of science that makes health concerns and threats a thing of the past.