Note-taking exercises for educational and medical interpreters (2)

This page has two parts, part 1 is medical symbol practice and part 2 is educational symbols practice. Scroll down to find both parts.

Part 1 – Medical symbols exercises

Step 1. Review the following symbol flashcards carefully

Step 2. Practice with the symbol dictations

You should complete this exercise (Step 2) twice a day until you are able to draw most of the symbols without getting behind or omitting many symbols.

1. Use an 8.5 x 11 printing paper (regular letter paper) horizontally.
2. Use a pen or pencil to write down the symbol for every word you hear. You will not hear full sentences but random words based on the symbols you previously studied.
   
   * Remember to hear the pauses in between a word and another. A long pause means that you should start a new column. Each horizontal list of words represents a new column. Your paper should look like this:

BASIC MEDICAL SYMBOLS GROUP 1 – SLOW

• medicine, dose, doctor, nurse, injection, hospital, pharmacy, surgery, disease, care, blood, patient
• pharmacy, liquid, clinic, dose, nurse, ailment, surgical, doctor, patient, medical, attention, inject
• nurse, pharmacy, sick, surgery, dose, fluid, hospital, doctor, care, medicine, patient, injection
• clinic, patience, pain, doctor, dose, nurse, care, pharmacy, medical, urine, needle, operation
• hospital, patient, bad, doctor, dose, nurse, focus, pharmacy, medication, blood, injection, operation
•  medicine, dose, doctor, nurse, inject, clinic, pharmacy, surgery, sad, care, water, patient
• pharmacy, blood, hospital, dose, nurse, depression, surgical, doctor, patience, medical, attention, shot
• clinic, patient, sickness, doctor, dose, nurse, care, pharmacy, medicine, blood, needle, surgery
• nurse, pharmacy, disease, operation, dose, urine, hospital, doctor, attention, medication, patience, shot
• clinic, patient, disease, doctor, dose, nurse, care, pharmacy, medicine, fluid, injection, surgery

BASIC MEDICAL SYMBOLS GROUP 2 – SLOW

• fracture, treatment, diagnosis, experience, symptom, prescription
• treat, fractured, symptom, diagnosis, prescribe, experience
• symptom, fracture, prescription, treatment, experience, diagnose
• prescription, experience, diagnose, fractured, symptom, treatment
• symptom, fractured, experience, diagnose, treat, prescribe
• treat, fractured, symptom, diagnosis, prescribe, experience
• symptom, fracture, prescription, treatment, experience, diagnose
• prescription, experience, diagnose, fractured, symptom, treatment
• fracture, treatment, diagnosis, experience, symptom, prescription
• symptom, fractured, experience, diagnose, treat, prescribe

BASIC MEDICAL SYMBOLS GROUP 3 – SLOW

• anxiety, biopsy, chest, prognosis, history, oxygen
• oxygen, biopsy, prognosis, anxious, history, chest
• anxiety, chest, prognosis, oxygen, biopsy, history
• anxious, biopsy, prognosis, chest, history, oxygen
• oxygen, history, chest, prognosis, biopsy, anxiety
• oxygen, biopsy, prognosis, anxious, history, chest
• anxiety, biopsy, chest, prognosis, history, oxygen
• anxiety, chest, prognosis, oxygen, biopsy, history
• oxygen, history, chest, prognosis, biopsy, anxiety
• anxious, biopsy, prognosis, chest, history, oxygen

Part 2 – Educational symbols exercise

Step 1. Review the following symbol glossary carefully

• You can create symbol flashcards. Draw the symbol on the front side and write all the possible words it means on the back side.

Step 2. Practice with the symbol dictations

You should complete this exercise (Step 2) twice a day until you are able to draw most of the symbols without getting behind or omitting many symbols.

1. Use an 8.5 x 11 printing paper (regular letter paper) horizontally.
2. Use a pen or pencil to write down the symbol for every word you hear. You will not hear full sentences but random words based on the symbols you previously studied.
   
   * Remember to hear the pauses in between a word and another. A long pause means that you should start a new column. Each horizontal list of words represents a new column. Your paper should look like this:

* You can compare the symbols you took with this list:

• assistance, attention, behavior, book, conversation, chair, desk, describe, disability
• disease, eligibility, emotion, environment, family, friends, house, learn, math
• plan, organize, process, smart, sound, speak, spell, standard, student, teacher
• technology, test, think, tools, transfer, walk, write, hear, modification, meeting
• plan, organize, process, intelligence, noise, say, spell, average, student, instructor
• device, exam, consider, skills, transition, run, pencil, listen, change, meeting
• sick, eligibility, feelings, object, relatives, friends, home, study, numbers
• help, focus, activity, letter, statement, seat, desk, define, disability
• assistance, attention, behavior, paper, conversation, chair, desk, describe, handicap
• disease, eligible, emotional, environment, family, friends, house, learn, math
• computer, evaluation, think, instruction, transfer, walk, pen, hear, modify, meet
• plan, organize, process, smart, sound, talk, sign, normal, student, teacher

Step 3. Practice with the phrases to symbol exercise

You are going to interpret consecutively.

1. Play the recording and listen to it
2. Take notes
3. Wait for the pause and interpret
4. Once you finish the exercise compare your notes to the symbol transcription below