Pediatric Spanish Medical Interpreter (PRN)

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Inc.; Brookhaven (GA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is seeking an experienced medical interpreter to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare staff. The role involves accurate in-person or telephone interpretation, supporting safe patient care and a respectful, culturally aware environment.

Applicants should have at least 5 years of healthcare interpreting experience, with pediatric exposure preferred, and hold or be working toward recognized interpretation certifications.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience as an Interpreter in a healthcare or health related setting.
• Experience interpreting for a multi-disciplinary provider team
• Experience in the pediatric setting preferred
• Training or Certificate in Interpretation/Translation or a related field from an accredited institution or program
• Certificate from an interpreting course (Minimum 40 hours preferred, i.e. Bridging the Gap, GA Perimeter College, etc.) required
• Ability to translate medical information
• Successfully passed a medical interpreters skills assessment administered by a third party such as ALTA or another Children’s approved medical interpreting certifying body
• Demonstrates proficiency in both English and target language required.
• Knowledgeable of cultural advocacy to address dialectal difference, cultural beliefs and practices, and social norms related to healthcare decisions, within the boundaries of the medical interpreter.
• Demonstrates understanding of socio‑political and linguistic disadvantages of patient populations that impact their communication and understanding of medical care

Responsibilities

• Facilitates communication between patient/family and provider by rendering accurate and complete interpretation of the message.
• Adheres to generally accepted interpreter ethics principles such as NCIHC’s National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care, IMIA’s Code of Ethics, and RID’s Code of Professional Conduct.
• Effectively transitions from 1st person interpreting to 3rd person interpreting when needed to provide a social and developmentally appropriate interpretation.
• Understands and verbalizes medical terminology and disease processes in English and target language accurately.
• Interprets information at the patient/family’s level of understanding, recognizing non-verbal communication and cultural patterns, developmental levels, recognizing, and using appropriate interventions regarding health literacy.
• Transmits non-verbal communication cues in the interpreted encounter that are imperative to effective communication to providers.
• Employs clarification techniques to improve understanding of meaning in relation to cultural, social, and linguistic differences of the message.
• Employs culturally appropriate behavior to choose the appropriate time to clarify or interject, respecting the goals of the encounter while respecting own personal values, beliefs, and cultural characteristics.
• Provides limited but accurate translation services, effectively writing in English and target language for discharge instructions and other ad hoc patient-specific information, as needed.
• Manages spatial configuration and flow of communication to preserve accuracy and completeness, and to assess and address potential areas of discomfort for patient (age, gender of interpreter, no previous experience with interpreters).
• Supports performance improvement goals by successfully recording patient/family interpreted encounters on a consistent basis.
• Completes annual clinical competencies as assigned.
• Participates in continuous learning to enhance professional growth.

Skills

Healthcare interpreting

Bilingual proficiency

Cross-cultural communication

Education

High school diploma

Associate degree preferred

Job description

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is seeking an experienced medical interpreter to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare staff. The role involves accurate in-person or telephone interpretation, supporting safe patient care and a respectful, culturally aware environment.

Applicants should have at least 5 years of healthcare interpreting experience, with pediatric exposure preferred, and hold or be working toward recognized interpretation certifications.