28 May What is a pre-session in medical interpreting?

The ideal scenario in medical interpreting is for the doctor and patient to speak calmly, maintain eye contact and avoid side comments, trusting the interpreter to bridge the linguistic gap. However, the reality is that many professionals are not used to working with interpreters and patients can feel uncomfortable sharing sensitive information in front of someone who isn’t visibly part of the medical team. This can disrupt communication and, ultimately, affect the quality of care. In these cases, a pre-session prior to medical interpreting is a crucial step in ensuring good communication between doctors, patients, interpreters and a medical translation agency.

Read on and we’ll tell you everything you need to know.

What is a pre-session in medical interpreting?

A pre-session is a brief conversation that happens before an interpreted encounter. Its purpose is simple but powerful: to set expectations, clarify roles, and create the right conditions for clear, respectful communication.

For many people — especially those who have never worked with an interpreter before — the pre-session is like a mini masterclass. For others, it’s a helpful refresher. Either way, it ensures that everyone starts on the same page.

With the patient, a pre-session:

• • Introduces the interpreter and builds rapport
  • Explains confidentiality and impartiality
  • Clarifies how the interpreter will operate
  • Helps the interpreter get a feel for the patient’s speech style or accent

With the healthcare provider, a pre-session:

• • Establishes professional rapport
  • Communicates how the interpreter will work during the encounter
  • Provides an opportunity for the provider to share useful context
  • Clarifies timing or special considerations

Why are pre-sessions in medical interpreting necessary?

Pre-sessions are a vital part of any interpreted healthcare encounter. They help set expectations, establish trust, and create the right conditions for effective communication between provider and patient.

At the start of an interaction, it’s the interpreter’s responsibility to clarify their role, emphasising key principles like accuracy, completeness, and confidentiality. However, a good pre-session goes beyond that — it helps manage the space, address concerns about the interpreter’s presence, and assess the patient’s communication style to encourage direct interaction between doctor and patient.

While it won’t guarantee flawless interaction, it ensures that everyone knows what to expect and how to work together.

The term AIDE explains it very well:

• • Acknowledge the participants
  • Introduce yourself and your role
  • State the Duration of the session or your availability
  • Explain the context and what to expect

The C-I-F-E principles every medical interpreter should follow

All of this goes beyond speaking two languages — it’s about building trust and ensuring accurate, ethical communication. The C-I-F-E principles — Confidentiality, First Person, Flow, and Everything Will Be Interpreted — are the backbone of that mission. Here’s what they mean in practice.

C – Confidentiality

Confidentiality is non-negotiable. A medical interpreter must assure the patient that everything shared will remain private. Interpreters are bound by the same ethical expectations as the rest of the healthcare team.

Best practices include:

• • Never sharing patient details outside the care team
  • Protecting any written notes or documents
  • Only disclosing information with the patient’s consent or when legally required

I – I Use First Person

Interpreting in the first person helps maintain the natural dynamic between provider and patient. If a doctor says, “I need to examine you,” you say, “I need to examine you”, not “The doctor says he needs to examine you.”

This approach:

• • Keeps the focus between the provider and the patient
  • Reinforces the interpreter’s role as a conduit, not a participant

F – Flow

Interpreters are not just passive voices — they’re also managers of communication flow. This means ensuring that both parties speak in digestible segments, and that the conversation remains clear, respectful, and organised.

Responsibilities include:

• • Politely asking for pauses to ensure accuracy
  • Preventing simultaneous speaking
  • Intervening for clarification or de-escalation when needed

E – Everything will be interpreted

Yes, everything. Even the awkward jokes, the offhand comments, or the culturally charged side notes. If it’s said, it’s interpreted.

Why? Because the interpreter’s role is to faithfully reproduce the full message — not edit, filter, or judge what should or shouldn’t be said. Patients and providers must be aware: if they don’t want something interpreted, it should not be said in front of the interpreter.

Structuring your pre-session in medical interpreting

To stay professional and consistent, many interpreters create a standard pre-session script—a brief, clear message they can customise for each appointment. This usually takes 30 to 60 seconds to deliver, but sets the tone for a successful encounter.

Now that we have looked at the theory, let’s move on to the practical part. When preparing your prep session, be sure to cover:

• • A greeting
  • Your name
  • Your role and agency (if applicable)
  • The language you’ll be interpreting
  • That you’ll speak in the first person
  • That you’ll refer to yourself as “the interpreter” when needed
  • A confidentiality statement
  • A reminder that you will interpret everything that is said
  • A note that you cannot give advice or answer questions directly
  • A request to pause after short phrases, but otherwise to speak naturally
  • An encouragement for the patient and provider to address each other directly
  • A reminder that you may need to intervene for clarity

Pre-sessions set the stage for success

While a pre-session doesn’t guarantee a perfect encounter, skipping it all but guarantees confusion. Without clear expectations, providers might speak to the interpreter instead of through them, and patients might withhold important details or direct questions where they don’t belong.

A well-delivered pre-session minimises these risks when delivering a medical translation service. It empowers both parties to use the interpreter effectively, fosters trust, and reinforces your role as a trained, neutral professional.