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TYPE html> <html lang="en" data-sccontext="hsinternet"> <hea
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"> <head> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> <title>ASL interpreter bridges healthcare - Mayo Clinic Health System</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap" /> <meta name="keywords" content="ASL interpreter, deaf, in-person interpreter, American Sign Language" /> <meta name="title" content="ASL interpreter bridges healthcare" /> <meta name="description" content="For patients who are deaf, navigating healthcare can be a challenge. An in-person interpreter can make all the difference." /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="ASL interpreter bridges healthcare" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="For patients who are deaf, navigating healthcare can be a challenge. An in-person interpreter can make all the difference." /> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en" /> <meta name="twitter:image:alt" content="Person using sign language" /> <meta name="twitter:image:height" content="370" /> <meta name="twitter:image:width" content="660" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@mayoclinichs" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@mayoclinichs" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta property="og:title" content="ASL interpreter bridges healthcare" /> <meta property="og:description" content="For patients who are deaf, navigating healthcare can be a challenge. An in-person interpreter can make all the difference." /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Mayo Clinic Health System" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en" /> <meta property="og:image:alt" content="Person using sign language" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="370" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="660" /> <meta property="article:author" content="https://www.facebook.com/MayoClinicHealthSystem/" /> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/MayoClinicHealthSystem/" /> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="1501890730128932" /> <meta name="p:domain_verify" 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pt></head> <body> <!--

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ad> <body> <!-- Tealium Universal Tag --> <script type="text/javascript"> (function(a,b,c,d) { a='//tagdelivery.mayoclinic.org/healthsystem/prod/utag.js'; b=document;c='script';d=b.createElement(c);d.src=a; d.type='text/java'+c;d.async=true; a=b.getElementsByTagName(c)[0];a.parentNode.insertBefore(d,a)})(); </script> <div class=""> <a href="#mainWrapper" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a> <header class="nav-wrapper no-index"> <nav class="nav-main"> <div class="nav-main__bg-glow"> <a id="siteHeaderLogo" href="/" class="logo"> <div><img src="/-/media/health-system-internet/shell/mchs_logo_2024_black.svg?sc_lang=en&la=en&hash=C61F598E4A732E34A532A019017D402A" alt="MCHS_Logo_2024_BLACK" /></div> </a> <div class="nav-main__items"> <ul class="nav-main__link-wrapper"> <li> <a id='link-de21e07b2d0a4a5089fbc3725e32ed91' href='/patient-online-services' class='nav-main__btn' target='' ><span class='nav-main__btn-icon'><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><svg data-name="Layer 1" 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class='nav-main__btn' target='' ><span class='nav-main__btn-icon'><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 32 32"><path d="M21.57,15.85l-3.46,3.47L12.68,13.9l3.46-3.47L7.71,2,3.42,6.29C.25,9.46,2.48,15.79,9.1,22.42l.29.28h0l.2.2c6.63,6.63,13,8.86,16.12,5.69L30,24.29Zm2.77,11.27C22.13,29.32,16.5,27,11,21.48l-.28-.29h0l-.2-.2C5,15.5,2.68,9.87,4.88,7.67L7.71,4.83l5.6,5.6-2.05,2.05L9.85,13.9l1.41,1.41,5.43,5.42,1.42,1.42,1.41-1.42,2.05-2.05,5.6,5.61Z"/></svg></svg></span><span>Request an Appointment</span></a> </li> </ul> <form action="/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap" id="searchForm" method="post"><input id="scController" name="scController" type="hidden" value="Mayo.Sc.Web.Areas.HealthSystemInternet.Controllers.SearchController, Mayo.Sc.Web" /><input id="scAction" name="scAction" type="hidden" value="DoSearch" /> <button type="submit" class="nav-main__search-btn" aria-label="Search"> <div class="nav-main__icon-search"> 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href="/topics/ear-health">Ear Health</a></li> <li><a id="topicButton-161ac8c45c354a068aff4311067526af-4b49e67bafc8456a9899f2625c49613f" href="/topics/speech-language">Speech-Language</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="blog-cover-image"> <img src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en&la=en&h=370&w=660&hash=7F867B0BFBA28C06B9533A07712618CF" alt="Person using sign language" /> </div> <div class="wysiwyg"> <p>Even the most routine medical appointment can be stressful for patients. Now imagine that you can't hear what healthcare professionals are saying while you're giving birth, learning that you have a serious health problem, accompanying your children or elderly parents to their appointments, or coping with unfamiliar medical terms.</p> <p>While some deaf people can lip-read, there are still barriers. For example: </p> <ul> <li>Being ill or groggy from anesthesia can complicate visual communication.</li> <li>If a healthcare professional is wearing a mask, lip reading isn't possible, and essential aspects of the message, like facial expressions, aren't available.</li> <li>Medical terms may be hard to understand.</li> <li>Some words or letters can be difficult to distinguish, such as meet and met, or the letters T, D and K.</li> <li>The healthcare staff may turn away while talking.</li> <li>There may be a side conversation concerning your issue.</li> </ul> <p>"Lip reading takes a lot of brain power because it's so intense, and it can be exhausting," says Theresa Lewis of West Salem, Wisconsin. "You can miss a lot of what's being communicated."</p> <p>Theresa and her husband both are deaf, and Theresa often accompanies him and her 93-year-old mother-in-law to medical appointments. So she also needs to know about any follow-up care, prescriptions and updates on her mother-in-law's health.</p> <p><img alt="ASL Theresa and Colleen" style="width:350px; height:267px;" src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/asl-theresa-and-colleen.jpg?h=267&w=350&sc_lang=en&hash=AD6B8B470FB3673EA4BFF26FF6EC619B" /></p> <p>"Having an in-person interpreter with us makes sure that we're getting the whole picture and 100% of what we need to know," says Theresa.</p> <p>Evie Seifert of Sparta, Wisconsin, has three daughters ages 17, 15 and 7. Evie is deaf, but her children can hear. Like any parent, she accompanies them to their healthcare appointments, whether for routine care and immunizations or something more serious like a broken arm.</p> <p>"I want to make sure that I can follow up on what their providers say," Evie says. "When reading lips, you can never take your eyes off the person speaking, and I worry about missing something. I want to have the same access to information as my daughters."</p> <h2>Enhancing healthcare communication, understanding</h2> <p>Enter Colleen Cudo, supervisor for <a href="/locations/la-crosse/patients-and-visitors/accessibility-to-services" target="_self" title="Opens in same window.">Language Services</a> for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who works with Theresa and Evie. Fluent in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window.">American Sign Language</a>, or ASL, Colleen has more than 30 years of experience as an interpreter. She explains that ASL is a combination of letters, words, body language and facial expressions to enhance communication.</p> <p>"English and ASL are like two different languages," Colleen says. "As interpreters, we consider ourselves word nerds. We work hard to know what we're scheduled for and do our homework about medical terminology that may come up during an appointment, so we're prepared. During an office visit, we also get clarification from our client's healthcare professionals and present it in terms our client will understand."</p> <p>For instance, a healthcare professional may ask, "When was the first day of your last period?" But, Colleen says, that doesn't make sense in sign language, so the most common way to pose the question is, "When did your most recent period start?"</p> <p>Colleen and the other in-person interpreters consider themselves just that: interpreters. They're the third person in the room and are careful not to add an opinion or insert themselves in any other way between the patient and healthcare professional. They also strictly uphold patient privacy.</p> <p>But they're still compassionate with the message. "We do more than interpret," Colleen says. "Sometimes we're communicating bad news, such as a serious condition or even life-ending diagnosis. Through our signing and body language, we can convey not only the words but also our empathy."</p> <p>While there are tools for helping with interpretation, such as tablets and smartphones, those tools aren't always effective in certain healthcare settings. They also can experience delays or freeze, leaving the patient without access to vital information or instructions. It's also not appropriate for the healthcare team to rely on a family member, such as a child, to interpret for a patient.</p> <p>Theresa says, "I've been asked why my son can't interpret, but he's not a certified medical interpreter, and I want to keep my conversations private. Having my son at a mammogram? No way."</p> <h2>Being there for patients</h2> <p>Whether in the Emergency Department or Birthing Center, Colleen and other interpreters are there for their clients, often providing their services any time of the day and night.</p> <p>Colleen was at Evie's side when her youngest daughter was born.</p> <p>"It was wonderful, and my labor was fast," Evie says, "but there were so many people in the room and so much going on. Colleen was my support system, providing interpretation for words I didn't understand. She was so impressive. I can't imagine what it would have been like if she hadn't been there."</p> <p><img alt="ASL Evie and Colleen" style="width:351px; height:263px;" src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/asl-evie-and-colleen.jpg?h=263&w=351&sc_lang=en&hash=5CC4984254BB57076F73A13E0FEA09F6" /></p> <p>Evie confesses that when she first started seeing healthcare staff at the clinic, she didn't use an in-person interpreter because she didn't feel comfortable having a stranger at her office visits. Instead, she and her care team communicated by writing, which had its own drawbacks, leading to some miscommunication.</p> <p>"It was a lot of writing, mostly with our smartphones," she says. Then she met Colleen. </p> <p>"We became close, and I totally trust her," Evie says. "I trust her confidentiality and medical knowledge, and appreciate her accessibility. I also know that having her interpret reduces confusion and increases understanding."</p> <p>Theresa feels the same way.</p> <p>"Having an in-person interpreter helps me communicate better with my providers. I trust Colleen to make sure we all understand each other," she says.</p> <p>That's one of the satisfactions Colleen gets from interpreting for her clients.</p> <p>"It's so amazing and rewarding when someone's face lights up because they understand what's being said," she says.</p> <p>Gaining that understanding is something Evie appreciates. "I never take accessibility for granted," she says. 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healthcare professionals. Read how two patients who are deaf connect with healthcare through their in-person interpreter.","image":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap"},"dateModified":"2024-04-15","datePublished":"2024-04-15","headline":"Beyond words: ASL interpreter creates bridge between deaf patients, healthcare","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mayo Clinic Health System","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/health-system-internet/shell/mayologo.svg?sc_lang=en"}},"articleBody":"Even the most routine medical appointment can be stressful for patients. Now imagine that you can\u0027t hear what healthcare professionals are saying while you\u0027re giving birth, learning that you have a serious health problem, accompanying your children or elderly parents to their appointments, or coping with unfamiliar medical terms.\nWhile some deaf people can lip-read, there are still barriers. For example: \n\n Being ill or groggy from anesthesia can complicate visual communication.\n If a healthcare professional is wearing a mask, lip reading isn\u0027t possible, and essential aspects of the message, like facial expressions, aren\u0027t available.\n Medical terms may be hard to understand.\n Some words or letters can be difficult to distinguish, such as meet and met, or the letters T, D and K.\n The healthcare staff may turn away while talking.\n There may be a side conversation concerning your issue.\n\n\u0022Lip reading takes a lot of brain power because it\u0027s so intense, and it can be exhausting,\u0022 says Theresa Lewis of West Salem, Wisconsin. \u0022You can miss a lot of what\u0027s being communicated.\u0022\nTheresa and her husband both are deaf, and Theresa often accompanies him and her 93-year-old mother-in-law to medical appointments. So she also needs to know about any follow-up care, prescriptions and updates on her mother-in-law\u0027s health.\n\n\u0022Having an in-person interpreter with us makes sure that we\u0027re getting the whole picture and 100% of what we need to know,\u0022 says Theresa.\nEvie Seifert of Sparta, Wisconsin, has three daughters ages 17, 15 and 7. Evie is deaf, but her children can hear. Like any parent, she accompanies them to their healthcare appointments, whether for routine care and immunizations or something more serious like a broken arm.\n\u0022I want to make sure that I can follow up on what their providers say,\u0022 Evie says. \u0022When reading lips, you can never take your eyes off the person speaking, and I worry about missing something. I want to have the same access to information as my daughters.\u0022\nEnhancing healthcare communication, understanding\nEnter Colleen Cudo, supervisor for Language Services for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who works with Theresa and Evie. Fluent in American Sign Language, or ASL, Colleen has more than 30 years of experience as an interpreter. She explains that ASL is a combination of letters, words, body language and facial expressions to enhance communication.\n\u0022English and ASL are like two different languages,\u0022 Colleen says. \u0022As interpreters, we consider ourselves word nerds. We work hard to know what we\u0027re scheduled for and do our homework about medical terminology that may come up during an appointment, so we\u0027re prepared. During an office visit, we also get clarification from our client\u0027s healthcare professionals and present it in terms our client will understand.\u0022\nFor instance, a healthcare professional may ask, \u0022When was the first day of your last period?\u0022 But, Colleen says, that doesn\u0027t make sense in sign language, so the most common way to pose the question is, \u0022When did your most recent period start?\u0022\nColleen and the other in-person interpreters consider themselves just that: interpreters. They\u0027re the third person in the room and are careful not to add an opinion or insert themselves in any other way between the patient and healthcare professional. They also strictly uphold patient privacy.\nBut they\u0027re still compassionate with the message. \u0022We do more than interpret,\u0022 Colleen says. \u0022Sometimes we\u0027re communicating bad news, such as a serious condition or even life-ending diagnosis. Through our signing and body language, we can convey not only the words but also our empathy.\u0022\nWhile there are tools for helping with interpretation, such as tablets and smartphones, those tools aren\u0027t always effective in certain healthcare settings. They also can experience delays or freeze, leaving the patient without access to vital information or instructions. It\u0027s also not appropriate for the healthcare team to rely on a family member, such as a child, to interpret for a patient.\nTheresa says, \u0022I\u0027ve been asked why my son can\u0027t interpret, but he\u0027s not a certified medical interpreter, and I want to keep my conversations private. Having my son at a mammogram? No way.\u0022\nBeing there for patients\nWhether in the Emergency Department or Birthing Center, Colleen and other interpreters are there for their clients, often providing their services any time of the day and night.\nColleen was at Evie\u0027s side when her youngest daughter was born.\n\u0022It was wonderful, and my labor was fast,\u0022 Evie says, \u0022but there were so many people in the room and so much going on. Colleen was my support system, providing interpretation for words I didn\u0027t understand. She was so impressive. I can\u0027t imagine what it would have been like if she hadn\u0027t been there.\u0022\n\nEvie confesses that when she first started seeing healthcare staff at the clinic, she didn\u0027t use an in-person interpreter because she didn\u0027t feel comfortable having a stranger at her office visits. Instead, she and her care team communicated by writing, which had its own drawbacks, leading to some miscommunication.\n\u0022It was a lot of writing, mostly with our smartphones,\u0022 she says. Then she met Colleen. \n\u0022We became close, and I totally trust her,\u0022 Evie says. \u0022I trust her confidentiality and medical knowledge, and appreciate her accessibility. I also know that having her interpret reduces confusion and increases understanding.\u0022\nTheresa feels the same way.\n\u0022Having an in-person interpreter helps me communicate better with my providers. I trust Colleen to make sure we all understand each other,\u0022 she says.\nThat\u0027s one of the satisfactions Colleen gets from interpreting for her clients.\n\u0022It\u0027s so amazing and rewarding when someone\u0027s face lights up because they understand what\u0027s being said,\u0022 she says.\nGaining that understanding is something Evie appreciates. \u0022I never take accessibility for granted,\u0022 she says. \u0022Mayo Clinic is world-class, and offering in-person interpretation makes it world-class for all patients.\u0022"} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var _dl = { "version": "1.1.4", "content_blog_topics": "ear health|speech-language", "content_blog_author": "", "content_blog_date_pub": "2024-04-15", "content_blog_title": "Beyond words: ASL interpreter creates bridge between deaf patients, healthcare", "content_blog_author_id": "", "content_blog_word_count": 1023 }; </script> <script type="text/javascript">try { _trackAnalytics(_dl); } catch (err) { /* Handle errors here */ }</script> </div> </section> </div> <div id="overlay" class="overlay"></div> <footer class="footer no-index"> <div class="footer__top"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer__column"> <h2 class="footer__title"> Stay Connected </h2> <ul class="footer__link-wrapper"> <li> <a id='link-fb0c087fa0ab424789ba0014131161f7' href='http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayo-Clinic-Health-System/209089142464237' class='footer__social-btn' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' aria-label='Mayo Clinic Health System on Facebook'><span class=''><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><path d="M25,0 C11.2,0 0,11.2 0,25 C0,38.8 11.2,50 25,50 C38.8,50 50,38.8 50,25 C50,11.2 38.8,0 25,0 L25,0 Z M30.7,17 L27.9,17 C27.4,17 26.8,17.6 26.8,18 L26.8,20.8 L30.7,20.8 C30.6,23 30.3,25 30.3,25 L26.9,25 L26.9,37.3 L21.8,37.3 L21.8,25 L19.3,25 L19.3,20.9 L21.8,20.9 L21.8,17.5 C21.8,16.9 21.7,12.7 27,12.7 L30.8,12.7 C30.7,14.5 30.7,16.5 30.7,17 L30.7,17 Z"></path></svg></span></a> </li> <li> <a id='link-67c8e68795454beb92dbe6c9a92f9fba' href='https://www.instagram.com/mayoclinichealthsystem' class='footer__social-btn' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' aria-label='Mayo Clinic Health System on Instagram'><span class=''><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><path class="st0" d="M29.6,12.6c-1.5-0.1-1.9-0.1-5.7-0.1s-4.2,0-5.7,0.1c-3.8,0.2-5.6,2-5.7,5.7c-0.1,1.5-0.1,1.9-0.1,5.7 s0,4.2,0.1,5.7c0.2,3.8,1.9,5.6,5.7,5.7c1.5,0.1,1.9,0.1,5.7,0.1c3.7,0,4.2,0,5.7-0.1c3.8-0.2,5.6-2,5.7-5.7 c0.1-1.5,0.1-1.9,0.1-5.7s0-4.2-0.1-5.7C35.2,14.6,33.4,12.8,29.6,12.6z M24,31.2c-4,0-7.2-3.2-7.2-7.2c0-4,3.2-7.2,7.2-7.2 s7.2,3.2,7.2,7.2S28,31.2,24,31.2z M31.5,18.2c-0.9,0-1.7-0.8-1.7-1.7s0.8-1.7,1.7-1.7c0.9,0,1.7,0.8,1.7,1.7 C33.1,17.4,32.4,18.2,31.5,18.2z M28.7,24c0,2.6-2.1,4.7-4.7,4.7s-4.7-2.1-4.7-4.7s2.1-4.7,4.7-4.7S28.7,21.4,28.7,24z M24,0 C10.7,0,0,10.7,0,24s10.7,24,24,24s24-10.7,24-24S37.2,0,24,0z M37.9,29.8c-0.2,5.1-3.1,7.9-8.1,8.1C28.3,38,27.8,38,24,38 s-4.3,0-5.8-0.1c-5.1-0.2-7.9-3.1-8.1-8.1C10,28.3,10,27.8,10,24s0-4.3,0.1-5.8c0.2-5.1,3.1-7.9,8.1-8.1c1.5-0.1,2-0.1,5.8-0.1 s4.3,0,5.8,0.1c5.1,0.2,7.9,3.1,8.1,8.1c0.1,1.5,0.1,2,0.1,5.8S38,28.3,37.9,29.8z"/> </path></svg>
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href="/topics/ear-health">Ear Health</a></li> <li><a id="topicButton-161ac8c45c354a068aff4311067526af-4b49e67bafc8456a9899f2625c49613f" href="/topics/speech-language">Speech-Language</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="blog-cover-image"> <img src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en&la=en&h=370&w=660&hash=7F867B0BFBA28C06B9533A07712618CF" alt="Person using sign language" /> </div> <div class="wysiwyg"> <p>Even the most routine medical appointment can be stressful for patients. Now imagine that you can't hear what healthcare professionals are saying while you're giving birth, learning that you have a serious health problem, accompanying your children or elderly parents to their appointments, or coping with unfamiliar medical terms.</p> <p>While some deaf people can lip-read, there are still barriers. For example: </p> <ul> <li>Being ill or groggy from anesthesia can complicate visual communication.</li> <li>If a healthcare professional is wearing a mask, lip reading isn't possible, and essential aspects of the message, like facial expressions, aren't available.</li> <li>Medical terms may be hard to understand.</li> <li>Some words or letters can be difficult to distinguish, such as meet and met, or the letters T, D and K.</li> <li>The healthcare staff may turn away while talking.</li> <li>There may be a side conversation concerning your issue.</li> </ul> <p>"Lip reading takes a lot of brain power because it's so intense, and it can be exhausting," says Theresa Lewis of West Salem, Wisconsin. "You can miss a lot of what's being communicated."</p> <p>Theresa and her husband both are deaf, and Theresa often accompanies him and her 93-year-old mother-in-law to medical appointments. So she also needs to know about any follow-up care, prescriptions and updates on her mother-in-law's health.</p> <p><img alt="ASL Theresa and Colleen" style="width:350px; height:267px;" src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/asl-theresa-and-colleen.jpg?h=267&w=350&sc_lang=en&hash=AD6B8B470FB3673EA4BFF26FF6EC619B" /></p> <p>"Having an in-person interpreter with us makes sure that we're getting the whole picture and 100% of what we need to know," says Theresa.</p> <p>Evie Seifert of Sparta, Wisconsin, has three daughters ages 17, 15 and 7. Evie is deaf, but her children can hear. Like any parent, she accompanies them to their healthcare appointments, whether for routine care and immunizations or something more serious like a broken arm.</p> <p>"I want to make sure that I can follow up on what their providers say," Evie says. "When reading lips, you can never take your eyes off the person speaking, and I worry about missing something. I want to have the same access to information as my daughters."</p> <h2>Enhancing healthcare communication, understanding</h2> <p>Enter Colleen Cudo, supervisor for <a href="/locations/la-crosse/patients-and-visitors/accessibility-to-services" target="_self" title="Opens in same window.">Language Services</a> for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who works with Theresa and Evie. Fluent in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/american-sign-language" target="_blank" title="Opens in a new window.">American Sign Language</a>, or ASL, Colleen has more than 30 years of experience as an interpreter. She explains that ASL is a combination of letters, words, body language and facial expressions to enhance communication.</p> <p>"English and ASL are like two different languages," Colleen says. "As interpreters, we consider ourselves word nerds. We work hard to know what we're scheduled for and do our homework about medical terminology that may come up during an appointment, so we're prepared. During an office visit, we also get clarification from our client's healthcare professionals and present it in terms our client will understand."</p> <p>For instance, a healthcare professional may ask, "When was the first day of your last period?" But, Colleen says, that doesn't make sense in sign language, so the most common way to pose the question is, "When did your most recent period start?"</p> <p>Colleen and the other in-person interpreters consider themselves just that: interpreters. They're the third person in the room and are careful not to add an opinion or insert themselves in any other way between the patient and healthcare professional. They also strictly uphold patient privacy.</p> <p>But they're still compassionate with the message. "We do more than interpret," Colleen says. "Sometimes we're communicating bad news, such as a serious condition or even life-ending diagnosis. Through our signing and body language, we can convey not only the words but also our empathy."</p> <p>While there are tools for helping with interpretation, such as tablets and smartphones, those tools aren't always effective in certain healthcare settings. They also can experience delays or freeze, leaving the patient without access to vital information or instructions. It's also not appropriate for the healthcare team to rely on a family member, such as a child, to interpret for a patient.</p> <p>Theresa says, "I've been asked why my son can't interpret, but he's not a certified medical interpreter, and I want to keep my conversations private. Having my son at a mammogram? No way."</p> <h2>Being there for patients</h2> <p>Whether in the Emergency Department or Birthing Center, Colleen and other interpreters are there for their clients, often providing their services any time of the day and night.</p> <p>Colleen was at Evie's side when her youngest daughter was born.</p> <p>"It was wonderful, and my labor was fast," Evie says, "but there were so many people in the room and so much going on. Colleen was my support system, providing interpretation for words I didn't understand. She was so impressive. I can't imagine what it would have been like if she hadn't been there."</p> <p><img alt="ASL Evie and Colleen" style="width:351px; height:263px;" src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/asl-evie-and-colleen.jpg?h=263&w=351&sc_lang=en&hash=5CC4984254BB57076F73A13E0FEA09F6" /></p> <p>Evie confesses that when she first started seeing healthcare staff at the clinic, she didn't use an in-person interpreter because she didn't feel comfortable having a stranger at her office visits. Instead, she and her care team communicated by writing, which had its own drawbacks, leading to some miscommunication.</p> <p>"It was a lot of writing, mostly with our smartphones," she says. Then she met Colleen. </p> <p>"We became close, and I totally trust her," Evie says. "I trust her confidentiality and medical knowledge, and appreciate her accessibility. I also know that having her interpret reduces confusion and increases understanding."</p> <p>Theresa feels the same way.</p> <p>"Having an in-person interpreter helps me communicate better with my providers. I trust Colleen to make sure we all understand each other," she says.</p> <p>That's one of the satisfactions Colleen gets from interpreting for her clients.</p> <p>"It's so amazing and rewarding when someone's face lights up because they understand what's being said," she says.</p> <p>Gaining that understanding is something Evie appreciates. "I never take accessibility for granted," she says. 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class="related-blog-posts__item"> <a id="relatedBlogPostImage-ebbca980b8674db1b5d5336179af4fb6-291555ac73c044fa89e14f2611de4f0e" href="/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/5-common-misconceptions-about-vertigo-dizziness" class="related-blog-posts__img-wrapper"> <img src="/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2021/spinning-bleary-upward-view-of-trees.jpg?sc_lang=en&la=en&h=370&w=660&hash=942335094257E7303D47B3DD4CAE4E44" class="related-blog-posts__img" alt="Spinning, bleary upward view of trees and sky" loading="lazy" /> </a> <a id="relatedBlogPostTitle-ebbca980b8674db1b5d5336179af4fb6-291555ac73c044fa89e14f2611de4f0e" href="/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/5-common-misconceptions-about-vertigo-dizziness" class="related-blog-posts__title">5 common misconceptions about vertigo, dizziness</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","description":"The exchange of information is critical for patients and healthcare professionals. Read how two patients who are deaf connect with healthcare through their in-person interpreter.","image":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/national-files/images/hometown-health/2024/person-using-sign-language.jpg?sc_lang=en","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/asl-interpreter-bridges-gap"},"dateModified":"2024-04-15","datePublished":"2024-04-15","headline":"Beyond words: ASL interpreter creates bridge between deaf patients, healthcare","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mayo Clinic Health System","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/-/media/health-system-internet/shell/mayologo.svg?sc_lang=en"}},"articleBody":"Even the most routine medical appointment can be stressful for patients. Now imagine that you can\u0027t hear what healthcare professionals are saying while you\u0027re giving birth, learning that you have a serious health problem, accompanying your children or elderly parents to their appointments, or coping with unfamiliar medical terms.\nWhile some deaf people can lip-read, there are still barriers. For example: \n\n Being ill or groggy from anesthesia can complicate visual communication.\n If a healthcare professional is wearing a mask, lip reading isn\u0027t possible, and essential aspects of the message, like facial expressions, aren\u0027t available.\n Medical terms may be hard to understand.\n Some words or letters can be difficult to distinguish, such as meet and met, or the letters T, D and K.\n The healthcare staff may turn away while talking.\n There may be a side conversation concerning your issue.\n\n\u0022Lip reading takes a lot of brain power because it\u0027s so intense, and it can be exhausting,\u0022 says Theresa Lewis of West Salem, Wisconsin. \u0022You can miss a lot of what\u0027s being communicated.\u0022\nTheresa and her husband both are deaf, and Theresa often accompanies him and her 93-year-old mother-in-law to medical appointments. So she also needs to know about any follow-up care, prescriptions and updates on her mother-in-law\u0027s health.\n\n\u0022Having an in-person interpreter with us makes sure that we\u0027re getting the whole picture and 100% of what we need to know,\u0022 says Theresa.\nEvie Seifert of Sparta, Wisconsin, has three daughters ages 17, 15 and 7. Evie is deaf, but her children can hear. Like any parent, she accompanies them to their healthcare appointments, whether for routine care and immunizations or something more serious like a broken arm.\n\u0022I want to make sure that I can follow up on what their providers say,\u0022 Evie says. \u0022When reading lips, you can never take your eyes off the person speaking, and I worry about missing something. I want to have the same access to information as my daughters.\u0022\nEnhancing healthcare communication, understanding\nEnter Colleen Cudo, supervisor for Language Services for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, who works with Theresa and Evie. Fluent in American Sign Language, or ASL, Colleen has more than 30 years of experience as an interpreter. She explains that ASL is a combination of letters, words, body language and facial expressions to enhance communication.\n\u0022English and ASL are like two different languages,\u0022 Colleen says. \u0022As interpreters, we consider ourselves word nerds. We work hard to know what we\u0027re scheduled for and do our homework about medical terminology that may come up during an appointment, so we\u0027re prepared. During an office visit, we also get clarification from our client\u0027s healthcare professionals and present it in terms our client will understand.\u0022\nFor instance, a healthcare professional may ask, \u0022When was the first day of your last period?\u0022 But, Colleen says, that doesn\u0027t make sense in sign language, so the most common way to pose the question is, \u0022When did your most recent period start?\u0022\nColleen and the other in-person interpreters consider themselves just that: interpreters. They\u0027re the third person in the room and are careful not to add an opinion or insert themselves in any other way between the patient and healthcare professional. They also strictly uphold patient privacy.\nBut they\u0027re still compassionate with the message. \u0022We do more than interpret,\u0022 Colleen says. \u0022Sometimes we\u0027re communicating bad news, such as a serious condition or even life-ending diagnosis. Through our signing and body language, we can convey not only the words but also our empathy.\u0022\nWhile there are tools for helping with interpretation, such as tablets and smartphones, those tools aren\u0027t always effective in certain healthcare settings. They also can experience delays or freeze, leaving the patient without access to vital information or instructions. It\u0027s also not appropriate for the healthcare team to rely on a family member, such as a child, to interpret for a patient.\nTheresa says, \u0022I\u0027ve been asked why my son can\u0027t interpret, but he\u0027s not a certified medical interpreter, and I want to keep my conversations private. Having my son at a mammogram? No way.\u0022\nBeing there for patients\nWhether in the Emergency Department or Birthing Center, Colleen and other interpreters are there for their clients, often providing their services any time of the day and night.\nColleen was at Evie\u0027s side when her youngest daughter was born.\n\u0022It was wonderful, and my labor was fast,\u0022 Evie says, \u0022but there were so many people in the room and so much going on. Colleen was my support system, providing interpretation for words I didn\u0027t understand. She was so impressive. I can\u0027t imagine what it would have been like if she hadn\u0027t been there.\u0022\n\nEvie confesses that when she first started seeing healthcare staff at the clinic, she didn\u0027t use an in-person interpreter because she didn\u0027t feel comfortable having a stranger at her office visits. Instead, she and her care team communicated by writing, which had its own drawbacks, leading to some miscommunication.\n\u0022It was a lot of writing, mostly with our smartphones,\u0022 she says. Then she met Colleen. \n\u0022We became close, and I totally trust her,\u0022 Evie says. \u0022I trust her confidentiality and medical knowledge, and appreciate her accessibility. I also know that having her interpret reduces confusion and increases understanding.\u0022\nTheresa feels the same way.\n\u0022Having an in-person interpreter helps me communicate better with my providers. I trust Colleen to make sure we all understand each other,\u0022 she says.\nThat\u0027s one of the satisfactions Colleen gets from interpreting for her clients.\n\u0022It\u0027s so amazing and rewarding when someone\u0027s face lights up because they understand what\u0027s being said,\u0022 she says.\nGaining that understanding is something Evie appreciates. \u0022I never take accessibility for granted,\u0022 she says. \u0022Mayo Clinic is world-class, and offering in-person interpretation makes it world-class for all patients.\u0022"} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var _dl = { "version": "1.1.4", "content_blog_topics": "ear health|speech-language", "content_blog_author": "", "content_blog_date_pub": "2024-04-15", "content_blog_title": "Beyond words: ASL interpreter creates bridge between deaf patients, healthcare", "content_blog_author_id": "", "content_blog_word_count": 1023 }; </script> <script type="text/javascript">try { _trackAnalytics(_dl); } catch (err) { /* Handle errors here */ }</script> </div> </section> </div> <div id="overlay" class="overlay"></div> <footer class="footer no-index"> <div class="footer__top"> <div class="container"> <div class="footer__column"> <h2 class="footer__title"> Stay Connected </h2> <ul class="footer__link-wrapper"> <li> <a id='link-fb0c087fa0ab424789ba0014131161f7' href='http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mayo-Clinic-Health-System/209089142464237' class='footer__social-btn' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' aria-label='Mayo Clinic Health System on Facebook'><span class=''><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><path d="M25,0 C11.2,0 0,11.2 0,25 C0,38.8 11.2,50 25,50 C38.8,50 50,38.8 50,25 C50,11.2 38.8,0 25,0 L25,0 Z M30.7,17 L27.9,17 C27.4,17 26.8,17.6 26.8,18 L26.8,20.8 L30.7,20.8 C30.6,23 30.3,25 30.3,25 L26.9,25 L26.9,37.3 L21.8,37.3 L21.8,25 L19.3,25 L19.3,20.9 L21.8,20.9 L21.8,17.5 C21.8,16.9 21.7,12.7 27,12.7 L30.8,12.7 C30.7,14.5 30.7,16.5 30.7,17 L30.7,17 Z"></path></svg></span></a> </li> <li> <a id='link-67c8e68795454beb92dbe6c9a92f9fba' href='https://www.instagram.com/mayoclinichealthsystem' class='footer__social-btn' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' aria-label='Mayo Clinic Health System on Instagram'><span class=''><svg viewBox='0 0 50 50'><path class="st0" d="M29.6,12.6c-1.5-0.1-1.9-0.1-5.7-0.1s-4.2,0-5.7,0.1c-3.8,0.2-5.6,2-5.7,5.7c-0.1,1.5-0.1,1.9-0.1,5.7 s0,4.2,0.1,5.7c0.2,3.8,1.9,5.6,5.7,5.7c1.5,0.1,1.9,0.1,5.7,0.1c3.7,0,4.2,0,5.7-0.1c3.8-0.2,5.6-2,5.7-5.7 c0.1-1.5,0.1-1.9,0.1-5.7s0-4.2-0.1-5.7C35.2,14.6,33.4,12.8,29.6,12.6z M24,31.2c-4,0-7.2-3.2-7.2-7.2c0-4,3.2-7.2,7.2-7.2 s7.2,3.2,7.2,7.2S28,31.2,24,31.2z M31.5,18.2c-0.9,0-1.7-0.8-1.7-1.7s0.8-1.7,1.7-1.7c0.9,0,1.7,0.8,1.7,1.7 C33.1,17.4,32.4,18.2,31.5,18.2z M28.7,24c0,2.6-2.1,4.7-4.7,4.7s-4.7-2.1-4.7-4.7s2.1-4.7,4.7-4.7S28.7,21.4,28.7,24z M24,0 C10.7,0,0,10.7,0,24s10.7,24,24,24s24-10.7,24-24S37.2,0,24,0z M37.9,29.8c-0.2,5.1-3.1,7.9-8.1,8.1C28.3,38,27.8,38,24,38 s-4.3,0-5.8-0.1c-5.1-0.2-7.9-3.1-8.1-8.1C10,28.3,10,27.8,10,24s0-4.3,0.1-5.8c0.2-5.1,3.1-7.9,8.1-8.1c1.5-0.1,2-0.1,5.8-0.1 s4.3,0,5.8,0.1c5.1,0.2,7.9,3.1,8.1,8.1c0.1,1.5,0.1,2,0.1,5.8S38,28.3,37.9,29.8z"/> </path></svg>
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80 Info The type attribute is unnecessary for JavaScript resources.
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82 Info The type attribute is unnecessary for JavaScript resources.
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