International Translation Day Celebrated with a Panel on "Healthcare Interpreting"

The Department of English Translation and Interpreting at İzmir University of Economics (IUE) celebrated International Translation Day on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, with a panel titled “A Rising Field: Healthcare Interpreting.” Guest speakers included Ezgi Ender, International Sales Representative at Sanamentum, and Çağla Kübra Yeşil, International Patient and Business Relations Manager at Dent Glow Clinic. Both speakers shared their professional experiences in the expanding field of health tourism, highlighting the diverse roles and responsibilities of healthcare interpreters.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Dr. Neslihan Yetkiner, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, followed by Prof. Dr. Nihal Yetkin Karakoç, Chair of the Department, who emphasized the significance of International Translation Day for the profession. Afterwards, congratulatory messages from alumni were shared with the audience.

The seminar then continued with its first speaker, Ezgi Ender, who highlighted the core principles of healthcare interpreting, including confidentiality, impartiality, accuracy, and empathy. She stressed the importance of advanced language and medical terminology skills, quick adaptation in crisis situations, and professional communication. Ender also advised students to learn additional foreign languages, seek out internships to expand their networks, build their own medical terminology glossaries, and remain active on professional platforms.

The second speaker, Çağla Kübra Yeşil, shared her career path into health tourism, drawing on her Translation and Interpreting background and her international volunteer experiences. Yeşil emphasized Turkey’s competitive position in global health tourism, pointing to affordable treatment options, high-quality services, and internationally accredited institutions. She also underlined the interpreter’s vital role as the first point of trust for patients and explained that the profession requires not only language proficiency but also diverse competencies such as process management, communication across different accents, and adaptability to fast-paced working conditions.

The program concluded with a Q&A session and a group photo, followed by a violin and viola performance by IUE Chamber Orchestra students Eylül Demirel and Ilgın Uygur.