A lot of people dislike using interpreters whether they be doctors, social workers or school administrators. Arguments like “the interpreter slows the process down” or “we understand each other enough” are not good reasons to avoid the use of interpreters, and it violates Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires the provision of “language access accommodations”
From a New York Times article Doctor and Patient – When the Patient Gets Lost in Translation: “…While the doctors acknowledged that they were underutilizing professional interpreters, many made the decision not to call an interpreter consciously, weighing the perceived value of patient information against their own time constraints. Moreover, despite their personal misgivings,
the doctors often felt that this kind of shortcut was acceptable and well within the norms of their professional environment.”
Good interpreters don’t slow the process down. Good interpreters can provide simultaneous interpretation and cultural understanding. What might slow down the process down is that now, there is more medical history and better patient-provider interaction.
Here are some tips for best utilizing interpreters.
*Speak directly to the patient.
Instead of saying “please ask the patient if she hurts anywhere” say directly to the patient “does it hurt you anywhere?”
*Make eye contact with your patient, not the interpreter.
*Do not say anything in front of the patient that you would not want them to hear.
A good interpreter, interprets EVERYTHING that is said. Your non-English speaking patient has the right to know everything that is being said in the room, the same way your English speaking patients would.
*There are two main styles of interpretation, Simultaneous and Consecutive. Simultaneous the itnerpreter speaks at the same time as the provider, and is only 3-4 words behind them in interpretation. In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter, interprets after ever 3-4 sentences. Try both styles see which one works best for you, and it may vary from patient to patient.
*If you think something wasn’t interpreted, clairfy that it was. Again though, a good interpreter should interpret everything.
*If possible, ask the interpreter if there is a cultural component that they may have noted, that you should be aware of.
Interpreting code of ethics requires that interpreters not give opinions but they do
need to make providers aware of cultural differences or misunderstandings. For example from the interpreting code of ethics:
“The interpreter alerts all parties to any significant cultural misunderstanding that arises. For example, if a provider asks a patient who is fasting for religious reasons to take an oral medication, an interpreter may call attention to the potential conflict.”
