There are moments that we never forget. These occasions often change our viewpoint and how we do things in the future. I thought it would be interesting to share just a few of those moments with you now.
One day, I received a call from a nurse case manager who needed me at a hospital for a recently injured worker. This person worked at a lumberyard. Apparently, some wood was jammed. When he attempted to dislodge the wood, the worker’s hand slipped into the machine. It began to suck him in like a 2 by 4.
When the worker realized that the machine was drawing in his hand, he placed his other hand against the planer. With all his might, he pulled his arm out of the machine. The force against his arm and hand was so intense that the skin from his shoulder down to his wrist was ripped. When I met him at the hospital, the skin was hanging inside out, as if it was a sock. You could see ground up flesh, bone, muscle, and tendons.
The doctor attempted to roll his skin back, hoping that it would hold in place. However, that was unsuccessful; the patient needed substantial skin grafts. The injured worker had numerous follow-up doctor appointments. At one of those appointments, the nurses began to remove his bandages. Immediately, I caught a whiff of rotten blood. The skin around his damaged muscles resembled ground meat.
As a medical interpreter, to some degree, my role is that of an actor. I project the voice of the patient and the medical professionals who treat the patient. This means that as I interpret, I must reflect their attitude and tone of voice.
As the nurses removed the bandages, they smiled cheerfully and stated how well the patient was doing. With a gleeful look, they often repeat to him how great the injury is progressing and how good he looked. However, in my mind, the patient’s injuries were extremely severe and absolutely disgusting. I found it so repulsive, that I wanted to vomit.
Yet, I managed to smile just as the nurses did, and in a cheerful voice, rendered how well he was progressing and how good things were looking. That is not how I felt. Later, after I drove the patient home, I pulled over to the side of the road and loudly reacted with all my internal disgust.
Over time, multiple skin grafts were performed, and the patient healed adequately. He was grateful to the interpreters that enabled him to recover. I felt very proud to be part of a team that enabled clear communication resulting in his excellent recovery. I was also proud of the fact that I somehow managed to maintain my professionalism in a moment that was extremely difficult for me to do so.
