Realia Joins 3rd Marine Expeditionary Medical Assistance Team

On May 27th, 2006, a devastating 6.3 scale earthquake shattered Bantul district, Yogyakarta (approximately 15 kilometers south of Realia’s office) causing fatalities of more than 5,000 lives and leaving hundreds of thousands injured and homeless. Amidst the distresses and destructions following the earthquake, aid from various individuals and organizations, local to world wide, poured into Bantul in scores of forms.

The United States Marine’s 3rd Marine Expeditionary Medical Assistance Team reached the Sewon Bantul Regency on May 31, 2006 to provide medical assistance to the disaster torn district. A medical and logistic team consisting of approximately 150 marines and navy personnel immediately established field medical facilities comprised of a clinic, an x-ray facility and an operating room.

Language was the main barrier to the US team members to communicate with the non-English speaking local patients. In order to overcome the problem, interpreters were assigned to bridge the crucial communication gap between the medical team and the locals who desperately sought medical attention. Fourteen of the total 25 interpreters on the job were organized by Realia Translating and Interpretation Center.

From May 31 to June 10, the interpreters assisted US medical personnel in all medical facilities as well as in all outreach missions. One of the US Marines officers described the role of the interpreters as fundamental in the medical team’s ability to conduct operations. The main task of the interpreters was to translate information between the US military forces and local citizens. But various other tasks were also assigned, such as keeping and arranging medical records, assisting doctors in the operating room, escorting patients’ transfer from one facility to another, and facilitating meetings between US Marine/Navy officers and Indonesian Armed Forces officers, doctors, government officers and local/national media reporters.

At the end of the 11 day mission, the expedition served medical assistance for more than 5,000 patients in more than 100 outreach missions in earthquake torn villages.

Hapi (in orange shirt) comforts a patient in the O.R. during operation while explaining the patient’s condition to one of the doctors.

Realia teachers Pristi and Lilis discuss the problem of a long line of patients at the clinic with a US Marine Medical staff member.

The doctors’ instructions must be interpreted carefully and correctly in order to be fully understood by the patient. Realia teacher Elok (in red shirt, left) cautiously conveys the doctor’s instructions to a 50 year old patient during one of many surgeries performed in the facility.

The team of interpreters upon completion of the 11 day mission in Bantul. Squatting on the left is US Marine Lt. Rob Woodard