WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) appointed a representative for Brazil to continue building the organization's international structure. The IMIA is proud to announce Mylene Queiroz, medical interpreter, as the IMIA Representative for Brazil. A medical interpreter trained in the United States, she has moved to Brazil and is now undergoing a Masters Program at Santa Catarina Federal University - UFSC, with a thesis focusing on Medical Interpreting in Brazil. Mylene Queiroz is empowered to lead the IMIA Brazil Chapter. Brazil is still in its infancy in the development of the community interpreting profession, although there is a rich diversity of immigrants in this country with cross-cultural public service needs. The IMIA believes this initiative will foster collaboration with other related professional associations in Brazil, such as SINTRA and ABRATES.
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"There is nothing more essential to the health of immigrants and tourists in Brazil, and indeed the world, than the creation and implementation of standards that cover professional medical interpreting services. IMIA has demonstrated true leadership through its Medical Interpreting Standards of Practice, its work on certification, and its collaborative approach. This pioneering document is now being translated into Brazilian Portuguese so we can disseminate this information to health professionals in Brazil," says Mylene Queiroz, IMIA Brazil Representative.
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"Brazil has a strong need for medical interpreting training programs. Hospitals in Sao Paulo, for example, receive not only immigrants but foreigners who come to a growing medical-tourism sector. Errors in interpretation can be deadly, so it is important that medical centers across the country train their health care staff on interpreting services. Hopefully, at some point, universities with established interpreting and translation programs will take an interest in offering medical interpreting courses," says Izabel Arocha, President of the IMIA. "Until then, there is a strong interest in remote interpreter education."
For questions, contact Abbott Thayer at 626-483-2655.
About IMIA
The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) is committed to the advancement of professional medical interpreters as the best practice to equitable language access to health care for linguistically diverse patients. Founded in 1986, with currently over 1,900 members, most providing interpreting services in over 150 languages, the IMIA is the oldest and largest medical interpreter association in the world. In 2007 it expanded to a more international focus, to promote and unite medical interpreters worldwide. While representing medical interpreters as the experts in the medical interpreting field, associate membership to the IMIA is open to those interested in medical interpreting and language access in health care. IMIA has a division of providers, corporate members, trainers and language specific groups. (http://www.imiaweb.org)
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SOURCE International Medical Interpreters Association
