UTICA, Jan. 12, 2010 -- Ten interpreters from the Utica and Ithaca areas have graduated from an 80-hour medical interpreter course conducted by MAMI Community Interpreters. (Photos of this class.)

By completing the training, they can now help the medical community communicate with patients who lack proficiency in English, said MAMI Executive Director Cornelia Brown , PhD.

The newly trained medical interpreters may be contacted through MAMI for services. The new interpreters and their language specialties are:

-- Minn Htwe of Ithaca, Karen and Burmese interpreter.
-- Htung Aung Gyaw of Ithaca, Burmese interpreter.
-- Chaw Susu of Ithaca, Burmese interpreter.
-- Morgan Mielnick of Clayville, Spanish interpreter.
-- Jonathan Douk of Utica, Cambodian interpreter.
-- Anh Nguyet Duong of Utica, Vietnamese interpreter.
-- Ilya Kichuk of Utica, Russian and Ukrainian interpreter.
-- PawPa Hsarhti of Utica, Karen and Burmese interpreter.
-- Yurki Rosario of Utica, Spanish intrepreter.
-- Daniil Yevchev of Utica, Russian and Ukrainian interpreter.

With these classes of trained interpreters, Brown said, MAMI offers interpreting services in Central New York in the following languages: Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese (Cantonese, Haga, Mandarin, Fujianese, Fuzhou), Croatian, Dinka, French, French Creole, Farsi, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Karen, Krahn, Kiswahili, Luthuanian, Maay Maay, Mishanguli, Moldavian, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portugese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Thai, Taiwanese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Uzbek, and Vietnamese.

The courses were taught by a team that included an experienced multi-cultural instructor, an interpreter trainer and a registered nurse/medical trainer. Training involved interpreting skills, ethics and procedures, medical basic anatomy, common illnesses and treatments, culture-brokering, communication skills, role playing, benchmark oral evaluations, and written exam.

Graduates are now eligible to work as paid MAMI interpreter-interns. Once completing the internship and a follow-up exam, they become MAMI-certified medical interpreters. MAMI is a community-based, non-profit organization that has been recognized state-wide and nationally for its groundbreaking advocacy, training and coordinating in providing trained interpreters for patients and the medical community. MAMI has offices in Syracuse and Utica.

To inquire about interpreting and translation services, contact MAMI at 315-214-5003 in Syracuse or 315-732-2271 in Utica during business hours; at 315-624-0953 after 5 p.m. and on weekends, or email info@MAMIinterpreters.org.

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