I arose early the next morning and went down to have some breakfast. There I met a young woman who was graduating as a Medical Interpreter; said she was certified in four languages. I had never heard of a medical interpreter prior to our meeting and didn't appreciate the importance of such a certification, certainly not for four languages.

Wednesday morning (today), I attended the only early morning Toastmasters meeting in Tulsa, the Breakfast Club. Tina Pena was one of three speakers. Her speech examined the difficulties of being a Spanish (or any) language Medical Interpreter.

Tina joined Toastmasters on October 1, 2007. She has acquired a CC in almost 7 years. She is an example of a person that uses Toastmasters to her advantage. Tina is Spanish and travels all over. She might come to a meeting for the sole purpose of practicing a speech she plans to deliver elsewhere. Those are usually much longer than her 5-7 minute speech she presented today.

Imagine the awkward situation where a Spanish (only) speaking person goes to an English (only) speaking doctor with a pain in a very personal part of her body. You get the picture rather quickly and understand why a medical interpreter is a necessary skill in these modern times.

Conducting a Medical Interpreter training session (as Tina does) necessitates the same type delicate discussions as one might encounter in a doctor-patient encounter, if not more so.

The Breakfast Club is blessed to have a professional of Tina's quality in its midst. Hearing her speech and realizing she deals with just Spanish and English, brings me back to the young woman in Michigan. Wow! Four languages. I can't imagine the difficulties she will encounter in her career. I will just keep going to the Breakfast club and enjoy Tina's speeches when she comes to town.

Tina Pena is my June 12, 2014 'Toastmaster of the Day'.