21 Graduate from 70-Hour Interpreter Course

UTICA, July 2, 2007 -- Twenty-one Central New York residents have graduated from a 70-hour medical interpreter course conducted by the Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters of Central New York (MAMI). 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.

A weekend course was held in Syracuse, and a weekday course took place in Utica.

The new interpreters from the Syracuse course, and their language specialties, are:

-- Sangabo Abdi of Syracuse, Somali and Maay Maay.

-- Vakil Abdullayev of Syracuse, Russian, Turkish and Uzbek.

-- Mekhribon Abdullayev of Syracuse, Russian and Turkish.

-- Dejana Baric of Liverpool, Serbo-Croatian and Bosnian.

-- Francisco Cruz of Syracuse, Spanish.

-- Jennifer McFadden of Clinton, Spanish.

-- Nolasco Mercado of Syracuse, Spanish.

-- Hamadi D. Mukoma of Syracuse, Kiziguwa and Maay Maay.

-- Mario J.Perez of Syracuse, Spanish.

-- Olha Protsko of  Syracuse, Ukrainian and Russian.

-- Colleen Purcell of Ithaca, Spanish.

The interpreters from the Utica course, and their language specialties, are:

-- Xiomara Cortez of Utica, Spanish.

-- Bisharo Hassan of Utica, Somali and Maay Maay.

-- Caitlin Hernandez of Syracuse, Spanish.

-- Thao Hong of Utica, Vietnamese.

-- Galina Myalic of Utica, Russian.

-- Hussein Selimovic of Utica, Bosnian.

-- Aiku Spurgeon of Utica, Karen and Burmese.

-- Anthonitus Spurgeon of Utica, Karen and Burmese.

-- Anthony Stronach of Marcy, Japanese.

-- Ramiza Vukovic of Utica, Bosnian and German.

With these classes of trained interpreters, Brown said, MAMI offers interpreting services in Central New York in the following languages: Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Chinese, Dinka, French, German, Karen, Italian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Kiziguwa, Maay Maay, Mishanguli, Romanian, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Somali, Spanish, Thai, 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. 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. Medical facilities that use MAMI interpreting services are charged on a sliding scale based on level of usage.

###