Spanish in Action

After traveling to Ecuador over J-term and learning some Spanish medical terminology, I have been looking for opportunities to use what I learned. Since I'm not taking a Spanish class this term I really haven't had opportunities to speak much Spanish, much less use words and phrases that are common in doctor/patient conversations. A while back I had received an email about the Decorah free clinic looking for Luther students to interpret when Spanish-speaking patients came in. So, after telling myself for weeks that I should go to the free clinic and see what interpreting was like, it finally worked out for me to go this past Thursday.

The free clinic is held at a church very close to campus. From 5:30-8pm on Thursday nights there are a few doctors and nurses who volunteer their time to see patients. When I first arrived at the free clinic I saw quite a few people sitting around the waiting room. There were also 3 other interpreters (all current or former Luther students) volunteering their services.

At first I was a little nervous about remembering the right vocab and just getting my mind thinking in Spanish again, but it sure didn't take long and things were coming back to me. I was just there to observe what the interpreters do to see if it's something I want to do in the future, so I didn't actually have to speak much. But it sure was encouraging to be able to understand what the patients were saying and feel comfortable to know that I could interpret if I was asked to.

I thought it was also really cool that some of the phrases I had learned in Ecuador, word for word, were being used by the doctors! Phrases such as, "How can I help you today?" and "Does your pain come and go?" were exactly what we had learned, practiced, and been tested on in Ecuador! It was very rewarding to see that some things in school do have direct application to everyday life.

After being in the free clinic I really think that I would like to continue in a career where I could use Spanish, whether that be a job teaching Spanish or some other job where I can use Spanish if necessary. I'm sure that after I go to Spain this summer for 9 weeks I will have a better grasp on the language and a better feel for how much I want to incorporate the Spanish language into my life. I can't wait to really put my Spanish into action.