Each of our clinic trips requires at least one Spanish-language translator; some trips, like multiple-aircraft Mexico trips or our Latin America trips, require more.
Good conversational-level Spanish is the minimum we require for service as an translator. We particularly value a comfortable knowledge of health-related words. LMV's member resources pages have useful Spanish language links, including vocabulary lists, if you'd like to increase or refresh your knowledge prior to a trip.
What's it like to volunteer as an translator for an LMV trip? In three words: exhausting but rewarding. You may be the only Spanish-speaker on a four- or five-person team running a clinic in Mexico, and although most of our returning pilot and healthcare volunteers pick up words here or there, your skills may be needed not only during patient treatment, but also to help the group order meals in a restaurant, or to translate when the group meets with the mayor or other local officials. You'll hear the thankfulness of the people LMV treats first, and help convey it to your team. And it's the best language practice you can get.
Further questions? Ask your trip coordinator to put you in touch with one of our experienced translators, or contact your nearest LMV chapter.
Please note that as with all trip participants, translators pay a trip fee that varies according to the location of the clinic.
