SPI-100 Bilingual Proficiency Assessmnt (0 credits)
This test measures proficiency in written English and Spanish and reading comprehension. If necessary, students will be contacted for an interview to assess oral skills in both languages. Some Spanish experience and/or Spanish formal study needed. Placement assessment is taken in the Assessment & Outreach Center. Contact 414-382-6020 or alverno.outreach@alverno.edu to make an appointment
SPI-210 Intro Spanish/Eng Hlth Care Interpretatn (3 credits)
This course is primarily designed for the student in the Spanish/English Health Care Interpretation Support Area. It is also open to any bilingual Spanish and English student or professional who is interested in acquiring or further developing skills necessary to act as an interpreter in the health care field. This first course in the two course series will focus on the acquisition or expansion of a specialized vocabulary and technical terminology relevant to the field of health care interpreting. It will introduce the student to the prevalent modes of interpreting in health care which include the techniques of sight, consecutive and simultaneous interpretation. Students will develop improved listening skills required for effective interpreting as well as participate in drills that will help increase recall and short-term memory. This course will also address other parameters that affect effective communication in interpreter-mediated events such as the positioning of the interpreter, shifting register, their involvement or non-involvement, issues of confidentiality, advocacy, the interpretation of emotive and non-verbal language, as well as cultural issues. Test may be taken in the Assessment and Outreach Center Monday-Friday from 8 am-2 pm.
Prerequisite(s): For Spanish/English bilingual students. Students will be required to take SPI-100 Bilingual Proficiency Assessment.
SPI-310 Cultural Competence in Health Care (2 credits)
Course taught in English - no prior knowledge of Spanish is needed. This course is primarily designed for students in the Spanish/English Health Care Interpretation Support Area. However, it is also open to any student interested in understanding the multicultural aspects of health care. The course focuses on the theoretical frameworks defining culture, cultural competence and cultural proficiency, examines the CLAS standards (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards in Health Care) from the federal Office of Minority Health, discusses diversity and immigration in the United States, and present issues in the transcultural communication. The final portion of the course focuses specifically on the Latino culture and health care as it relates to the issues previously presented.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-210 completed; Communication Level 3 ICM completed.
SPI-320 Spanish/Eng Interp Practice/Hlth Care (3 credits)
This second course in the two course series for students in the Spanish/English Health Care Interpretation Support Area will focus on aspects of interpretive theory and practice drills and simulations designed to approximate as closely as possible the challenges faced by medical interpreters. These simulations will incorporate sight, consecutive, and simultaneous interpretation drills from English to Spanish and vice-versa. These simulations will expose the student to a variety of interpreting settings that they might encounter: hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, mental health facilities, etc. They will use their developing expertise in Spanish health care terminology and their awareness of cultural issues in health care to analyze and respond to the interpretive issues raised in these settings. Students will be required to complete a minumum of 8 hours of job shadowing outside of the regularly scheduled class time during the semester.
Prerequisite(s): SPI-210
SPI-350 Ethics of Health Care Interpretation (3 credits)
This course is designed to prepare the student for the significant ethical challenges they will meet in their practicum experiences and in their profession. In this course students will examine the kinds of professional ethical issues most commonly encountered in the field of interpreting, and include in its outcomes objectives of impartiality, respect, confidentiality, role boundaries, professionalism, and advocacy.
Prerequisite(s): SPI-210. SPI Capstone course.
SPI-360 Written Translation/Hlth Care Interpret (3 credits)
This course is designed for students in the Spanish/English Healthcare Interpretation Support Area. The course focuses on language skills necessary for translation, which is defined as the rendering of written text from a source language into a target language. Interpreting, however, consists of the oral rendition of a source language into a target language. Although the support focuses on the latter, there is an increasing demand for interpreters with strong translation skills, and students can adapt many of these concepts when working on translation in other disciplines. This course will review current grammar rules in English and Spanish, as well as present students with an opportunity to develop the ability to identify audience, style, tone and register, and the role each of these has in written communication. Through practice and an introduction to the challenges that translators face, students will problem-solve difficult linguistic constructions while refining their writing skills as they work to translate and edit medical texts from Spanish to English and English to Spanish within the framework of their role as a medical interpreter. Course fee to cover cost of student membership to the Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters. Students will complete a service learning project in this course.
Prerequisite(s): SPI-320.
SPI-483 Health Care Interpreter Intern (2 credits)
In this course, the student participates in field experience that allows them to further develop the skills that they learned in the coursework completed as part of the Spanish/English Healthcare Interpretation (SPI) support area. The student works under the direction of mentoring professionals in a health care setting to shadow and later interpret for patients during an individual field placement at a local health care organization. Students will meet with the instructor at different points during the semester, as well as complete reflective assignments. The student will effectively transfer the skills obtained in the classroom to a real-world work environment. One Internship completed. Departmental consent is required. Confer with your advisor prior to registration. Contact the Internship Office for details and placement assistance. In addition to the 120 hour requirement at the internship site, students will participate in a seminar that will meet periodically online or in person during the semester. Check Moodle for more details.