Consecutive Interpreting Practice: Mr. Rosales’ Diabetic Consult (EN<>EN)

For my next installment in consecutive interpreting practice videos, I’ve created a script about Mr. Rosales, who made some changes to his diet due to his recent diabetes diagnosis.  Below you will find the video, as well as the complete script below it.  For more videos like these, stay tuned to my YouTube channel.

If you’re looking for more consecutive interpreting practice, check out this playlist on my YouTube channel!

Fun fact: A safety net clinic in my area partnered with my alma mater’s interpretation & translation program to produce a training video using this very script! I hope to share it with you all if they make it public.

Script: Mr. Rosales’ Diabetic Consult

Doctor: Good afternoon, Mr. Rosales. Nice to see you again!

Mr. Rosales: Good afternoon, doctor. Likewise.

Doctor: So you’re here today for your 3-month follow-up for your diabetes. Today we’re going to go over your medications, how you’re taking them, your diet, and then we’ll give you a physical exam, ok?

Mr. Rosales: Great. I’ve changed a lot of things since the last time we talked.

Doctor: I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Rosales. To start with, what medications are you currently taking?

Mr. Rosales: Well, I take the one pill for my blood sugar, that other little pill for my thyroid, the little aspirin…

Doctor: Did you bring your pill bottles with you today?

Mr. Rosales: No, I forgot them in my son’s car.

Doctor: Oh, your son’s car? Do you always leave your medications in your son’s car?

Mr. Rosales: Oh, no. I had them in a plastic baggie to bring them here and my son gave me a ride. I accidentally left them in his car when he dropped me off.

Doctor: Oh, I see! That makes sense. That seemed like a very strange place to store your medications! Well Mr. Rosales, please try to remember to bring them next time, ok?

Mr. Rosales: Yes, doctor. I’m sorry.

Doctor: It’s ok. So, you said the medication for your diabetes, right? Was that metformin?

Mr. Rosales: Yes! Metformin. I remember it started with an M. I also take my thyroid pill. It’s the little round one that I have to break in half.

Doctor: Synthroid?

Mr. Rosales: Maybe. You refilled it for me the last time I was here.

Doctor: Ok, that’s synthroid then. And you’re taking the baby aspirin?

Mr. Rosales: Yes, doctor.

Doctor: And how are you taking your medications?

Mr. Rosales: I take my thyroid pill right when I wake up. Then I take my shower, brush my teeth, and get dressed. By then my wife has my breakfast ready and I eat.

Doctor: Okay, what next?

Mr. Rosales: I take my sugar pill right after I eat breakfast. At night, right after dinner and right before bed, I take my aspirin and my diabetes pill again.

Doctor: Well Mr. Rosales, it sounds to me like you’re taking you medication exactly how you should be. How often would you say you forget to take a dose of your medications?

Mr. Rosales: I don’t forget because my wife always reminds me. She won’t let me eat in the morning unless I’ve had my medication, then she won’t let me leave for work until I take my sugar pill! Then at night, she won’t let me come to bed unless I’ve taken my pills!

Doctor: Wow, it sounds like your wife has got this under control. Well, let’s talk about your diet. What does a typical breakfast look like to you?

Mr. Rosales: My wife makes me hard-boiled eggs and oatmeal.

Doctor: Do you have anything else with your oatmeal and eggs?

Mr. Rosales: I have a coffee with a little bit of cream and no sugar. Sometimes I have avocado with my eggs.

Doctor: Okay, and what about lunch?

Mr. Rosales: I almost always have a salad with chicken or tuna.

Doctor: What’s in your salad? And what kind of dressing do you have with your salad?

Mr. Rosales: Tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and I think my wife uses two different kinds of lettuce. I don’t like a lot of salad dressings. I usually just use lemon and some olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper.

Doctor: Wow, that sounds like a healthy lunch!

Mr. Rosales: My wife doesn’t let me eat anything unhealthy anymore! She makes all my food and won’t even buy unhealthy things at the store.

Doctor: Well it sounds like your wife really cares about you. Does she make you dinner, too?

Mr. Rosales: Yes. We’ve started to eat a lot of fish. She likes to cook fish for dinner now. We always have a side of vegetables like cauliflower. She also lets me have a little bit of rice. But not a lot!

Doctor: A little bit of rice is okay, Mr. Rosales. The problem before was that you were having rice or tortillas with almost every meal, and a big part of your meal was comprised of carbohydrates. That was what was making your blood sugar so high. So, with these dietary changes and the medication, I would expect your blood sugar to be going down.

Mr. Rosales: How was my blood sugar today?

Doctor: It was still high today, Mr. Rosales. We also checked your A1C, which gives us an average of your blood glucose over the past 3 months, and even though it came down, it didn’t come down as much as we would expect with the dietary changes and medication.

Mr. Rosales: But I’ve been doing everything you’ve asked me to. I don’t understand. I gave up a lot of my favorite foods. I stopped drinking soda and beer. I stopped going to McDonald’s. Every time my coworkers go to the 7-11 to get food and drinks on their break, I tell them NOT to bring me Takis and a Coca-cola, but to bring me a cranberry juice instead!

Doctor: Well, I think you’ve made a lot of important changes. You certainly don’t have to give up your favorite foods entirely, and a few sips of a soda or a beer here or there is okay. Everything in moderation. Cranberry juice is definitely a better choice than Takis and a Coke, but it still contains quite a bit of sugar.

Mr. Rosales: But it’s natural. It says, “No added sugar.”

Doctor: Well, that just means they didn’t add any EXTRA sugar. Cranberry juice contains almost the same amount of sugar as a can of Coke. Do you just have the one cranberry juice a shift?

Mr. Rosales: … No.

Doctor: How much juice are you drinking, Mr. Rosales?

Mr. Rosales: I stopped drinking the soda and the beer.

Doctor: So, in a typical day, what do you drink instead?

Mr. Rosales: I have coffee with breakfast. NO sugar, only a little bit of cream.

Doctor: Yes, we’ve established that. No sugar. What about for lunch?

Mr. Rosales: I have… juice.

Doctor: How much juice? Cranberry?

Mr. Rosales: Cranberry juice is my favorite. Sometimes I’ll have the kind with apple or raspberry. I’ll have… one, with lunch.

Doctor: Just one? You sound unsure, Mr. Rosales.

Mr. Rosales: Two.

Doctor: What about if you get thirsty after lunch when you’re at work? What do you drink?

Mr. Rosales: Cranberry juice.

Doctor: Hmm. So how much cranberry juice do you think you drink at work a day?

Mr. Rosales: Four bottles…

Doctor: And when you get home?

Mr. Rosales: Oh no, we don’t have juice at home. Only water.

Doctor: And coffee, no sugar.

Mr. Rosales: Yes.

Doctor: Well Mr. Rosales, I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of this. You’ve got to be careful with the juice. You’re doing a really good job with your diet, cutting out sodas, beer… but juice contains sugar, too.

Mr. Rosales: So I can’t drink juice either?!

Doctor: Not necessarily. I’d say try to not only cut down on the juice, but also find a “Sugar-free” or “Diet” option. You can check the sugar content on the back of the bottle. A lot of juices have diabetic-friendly options with little to no sugar.

Mr. Rosales: Thank god. Juice is all I have left!

Doctor: Like I said, Mr. Rosales: everything in moderation. Tell you what, I’m going to go grab a monofilament and be right back for your physical exam, okay? It seems my nurse may have moved them!

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