Bridging the Gap

Since January 26, I have been taking classes on Saturdays to become a Certified Medical Interpreter. Which has been an amazing and gratifying experiment, getting to meet and socialize with my classmates. We are all from different countries as well as having different career paths. Melida from Colombia, Allam, Deisy and I from Mexico, Ana from El Salvador, Ericka from Venezuela, and Melinda & Alberto from Guatemala, finally our professor Don Ernesto from Peru. They have become my friends as well as those who I work with when I volunteer at the hospital.

Anyway, I have learned so much that has helped me to become a better interpreter, however, this program is only to get certified as a Medical Interpreter, there are pointers that are great in any setting at all. Which has helped me when I am interpreting for my mom in the educational field. Not only do I learn more and more every time,which helps me interpreter better as a person.

My last class was two Saturdays ago, which was really sad because we were all going to go our separate ways, however, we met again last Saturday since it was our exam day. On Friday, I was so preoccupied with other homework, that I didn't even get to study. Which was really freaking me out, however, I decided that I was going to put it in the Holy Father's Hand and have it be his way. I knew that I was going to do really well in the first 20 lessons, which were basic rules and guidelines to follow. Nevertheless, I knew that I was going to have the hardest time on the Medical terminology, (I know right, me being a medical interpreter already, I should know all the medical terminology! Well that is so not true, I still have a hard time trying to interpreter some words).Anyway I still was not able to study.

Saturday I woke up early, and took a shower, however, by the time I was ready it was already 8:35 and it usually takes 20-35 minutes to get to the hospital, anyways it was our exam day, and we had decided to have a potluck celebration for having completed the 40-hour course as well as for getting to meet and know every single one of the classmates. 

The potluck celebration was really fun and very entertaining, the food was all very delicious, and I was grateful to have met Ana's husband, as well as Ericka's husband and their dog Tito. 

Then yesterday I received an email from our professor where it told us if we had passed or not. We had to receive a 70% or better. There were 50 questions and we could miss up to 15 to be able to pass. So after I was done I went back over all my answers, where I noticed that there were many questions where I kept second-guessing myself. Anyway, my final result was that I got a 96% I was really proud of myself and very accomplished because I was so worried that I had not passed.

Anyway, that now means that I can apply to work as a Medical Interpreter, because I passed the certification test, to be certified. :)