Objective: To promote shared understanding of thoughts and ideas and help participants achieve their communication goals in the interpreted encounter.

Standards of Practice

2.1 Maintain transparency in all aspects of your professional practice.

Prompt: Do all participants clearly understand who I am speaking for, including when I speak for myself, the interpreter? Do participants feel they can trust me to keep them informed?

Examples: Interpreters ensure that all parties are informed of what is said during any intervention or side bar conversation.

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2.2 Monitor Communication for Understanding and take thoughtful action when probable misunderstandings arise and are not addressed.

Prompt: How could a misunderstanding affect the patient's care, safety, or emotional comfort? Is this the best time to intervene? What action might help restore understanding?

Example: Interpreters notice whether participants look confused and intervene to support understanding.

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2.3 Create Space for Clarification. When the situation allows, interpreters help create conversational space for participants to work through misunderstandings directly, rather than resolving it on the participants behalf.

Prompt: Can the parties resolve this themselves if I simply continue interpreting or do I need to intervene?

Example: Interpreters may notice signs of a misunderstanding and then choose the intervention that would best resolve it.

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2.4 Manage Flow of Communication. Interpreters manage the pace and flow of communication to avoid omissions and ensure that information is shared in a timely manner with all parties.

Prompt: Am I managing the flow of information so that I can convey everything accurately and completely? Do the participants have equal opportunity to speak and be heard?

Example: Interpreters make adjustments to their interpretation when the flow of communication is hindering the participants' ability to fully engage in the conversation.

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2.5 Conduct a pre-session based on the context and situation to introduce the interpreter and set clear expectations about the healthcare interpreters' responsibilities, prioritising information relevant to the participants in that encounter.

Prompts:

• Are the languages I interpret the ones needed for this encounter?
• Does everyone understand what I will and won't be doing during this encounter?

Examples: Interpreters introduce themselves and explain their responsibilities; in an emergency situation interpreters may adjust by interpreting immediately, postponing their pre-session until a calmer moment.

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2.6 Participate in pre-encounter huddles with clinicians when possible to understand the context and purpose of the encounter, as well as any specific communication needs of participants.

Prompts: Do I understand enough of the context of the encounter to align with the goals of the participants, and any of their specific communications needs? If not, what questions should I ask?

Examples: Interpreters may ask inpatient clinicians for additional information before the encounter begins. Questions may include the goals for the encounter, and participants involved.

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