Just as death is a part of life, labor and delivery are a part of birthing process. Rather than being an uncomfortable topic, birth is a normal aspect of all of our lives. Our mothers endured it and it is an event that has occurred for thousands of years in our history.

We usually associate it with a negative connotation of pain and suffering instead of empowerment and strength. But with the proper education and support team, childbirth can be spectacular. We can imagine what you might be thinking as our reader: how does this relate to foreign language and translation?

Though we might not consider it, birthing people consist of those who may not possess any English proficiency at all. Does this extinguish the need for interpretation services? Not at all. In fact, patients are most vulnerable when they are in the active stage of labor.

So for someone who is delivering in a hospital, at home, or in a birthing center, it is important to establish a team. This team may consist of an obstetrician, midwife, doula, partner, and/or loved one. And for those who are in need of interpretation, this team might expand to a medical interpreter as well.

Community Doula Program

According to an article released by The Corvallis Advocate, there is a new program that is matching underserved populations with doula care. This program is Community Doula Program. They are empowering women of different ethnic backgrounds. Also, homeless women, young women, women with high-risk pregnancies, and even women who speak little-to-no English.

At this time, the program has had a great amount of success. But their highest need is for doulas who are bilingual. Their requirement is people who can speak English and Spanish or English and Arabic who may serve as medical interpreters simultaneously.

This represents a need for professionals who are trained in medical interpretation and possess the sensitivity to be present during a patient’s labor and delivery. As always, please contact us at info@saulsinternational.com for your language services needs.

Information obtained from https://www.corvallisadvocate.com/2019/community-doulas-for-under-served-moms/