How should interpreters handle nonverbal cues from patients?

• A. Ignore nonverbal cues.
• B. Reflect nonverbal cues in interpretation when relevant and avoid adding personal interpretation about emotions.
• C. Inject personal interpretation about emotions to clarify feelings.
• D. Only translate spoken words.

Answer: (B)

Nonverbal cues carry meaningful information that can change how a message is understood. Interpreters should reflect these cues in the interpretation when they’re relevant to what’s being communicated, and they should avoid adding personal judgments about the patient’s emotions. This approach keeps the patient’s intent accurate and neutral, letting the clinician sense things like distress, concern, or urgency as the patient experiences them.

Ignoring nonverbal cues loses important context and can obscure how the patient actually feels. Injecting personal interpretation about emotions risks bias and misrepresents the patient’s true feelings. Translating only spoken words misses the additional layer of meaning conveyed through body language, tone, and facial expressions.