Comments on: The Willie Ramirez Case Study: Failed Communication and Tragic Results

By: Lulya Al-tamimi

Lulya Al-tamimi — Wed, 11 Nov 2020 04:42:10 +0000

Very good example about the importance of professional interpreters and male practices in the medical field…and emphasize the role of the interpreter to facilitate communication across cultural differences

By: Marta Trias

Marta Trias — Fri, 01 May 2020 23:03:01 +0000

There is a lot that we have to learn in order to be a good interpreter in healthcare.
One of the most interesting and revealing things that Ms. Wise Price presented was the prejudice among latinos; that is the example of the Bolivian physician and Willie´s family.

Excellent interview.

By: Sabina Love

Sabina Love — Fri, 17 May 2019 19:48:13 +0000

Thank you, it is a tragic story.

By: johana-munoz

johana-munoz — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 20:05:06 +0000

Thank you! This is a tragic, but excellent and insightful resource which shows clearly why we ought not to depend on families to provide accurate interpretation. More often than not, medical professionals are unaware of the vast difference one word can make. We should take patient communication as seriously as we do surgeries. In which case we would never think of handing the scalpel to a patient’s family member and ask them to assist the surgeon.

By: Maria Slutzky

Maria Slutzky — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 23:10:23 +0000

This was a very insightful video, thank you

By: DR LAUREL D SENGER

DR LAUREL D SENGER — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:40:03 +0000

This was such a helpful video, and it made me resolve to study even harder in my medical interpreter course. I really want to learn the various terms used by different latin-american counties for the same ailments. It’s kind of scary to think you might make a mistake.

By: Pastora Hernandez Barbee

Pastora Hernandez Barbee — Tue, 10 Jan 2017 06:58:50 +0000

Thank you for this insightful video/case. It’s tragic indeed, it was preventable but unfortunately the chain of events were just wrong from the beginning. I think, that still today we can see untrained people assuming the role of an interpreter. This is the time when things can go wrong. Training, learning, and knowing when to act can save a client’s life.

By: Miriam C Delgado

Miriam C Delgado — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 05:14:50 +0000

This was very interesting and spot on to illustrate how crucial it is to have a knowledgeable interpreter. It isn’t necessary for interpreters to be walking encyclopedias, but it is necessary to develop the skills to identify those words that represent possibly problematic concepts and ask for clarification. One area that immediately comes to mind, although it might seem trivial, is the vast difference in the names of fruits, vegetables and other foods that can be found between the various Hispanic cultures. This is important because many cultures will resort to herbs and teas for medicinal purposes and it is necessary to be able to accurately relay to the health care provider exactly which herbal remedy or tea is used by the patient.

By: Velia Moran

Velia Moran — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 19:14:37 +0000

I believe the video should be seen by all who work in the Health Care Industry because it shows how important it is to have a trained medical interpreter peresent in any department of a hospital or clinic. We as interpreters are there to help them with any barriers they may face when seeing a patient who has a language barrier and culture.

By: Luz Leon-Valbuena

Luz Leon-Valbuena — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 04:02:16 +0000

I was so impressed how Just the pronunciation/meaning of the word changed Willie’s life. Overall it was a very interesting interview.