Language Interpretation and Translation

The use of medical interpreters has never been that important

before but with an increase of Americans that cannot speak and understand English well, the use of certified translators and interpreters with professional training will help ease the burden of errors acquired due to lack of an effective communication method between patients and health officials. Ideally, over half of the population of the United States at approximately 25 million cannot speak English fluently thus may not be able to access the precise healthcare needed. Chiefly, the use of professional translators and interpreters other than using children and bilingual employees will help increase satisfaction to the patients and reduce any drug impediments that may arise due to not acquiring the right information. Comparatively, the use of certified medical translators and interpreters rather than depending on bilingual employees will be more effective as there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States and reliance on bilingual health workers may not be the right strategy for medical centers to pass information to its patients even though the use of bilingual nurses may be cheaper for the health facilities. (Scamman, 2018)

Presumably the population of immigrants entering the United States stands at above 40 million according to statistics given back in 2013 and half of these people are proficiently low in English.

Currently, President Trump has been trying to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants since the problem has been gradually increasing over the years. This implies that medical issues experienced in the country have increased thus executing language access platforms with certified interpreters will help moderate the waste epitomize medical errors caused by overtreatment. (Scamman, 2018)

Professional medical translators on the other hand comprehend their role in a health setting thus are able to understand the importance of interpreting between patients and providers or doctors. Certified training also helps them understand when to be transparent and when to step forward the issue if any. Professional training also trains these experts on medical terminologies that bilingual assistants may not be able to cope up with.  (Schild, 2018)

Basically, reports and findings from NCBI have shown that patients with LEP experience adverse effects compared to patients with English proficiency. Research has shown that patients with low proficiency in English are more liable to get events that are safe caused by errors in communication. Additionally, the Civil Rights Act under Title VI does not allow anyone to disregard their color; national origin and race get discriminated or denied services as long as the program is getting Federal financial assistance.

Ideally, Ad Hoc interpreters may not be able to understand all the medical terminologies from health experts and may easily pass the wrong information to the patients.

Predominantly, errors in the health sector may easily lead to bad results to the patients if not keen. These interpreters are more likely to make errors that could have been prevented by using translators who have been mainly trained to translate and interpret. These interpreters should sit next to or behind the patient with the clinician there. The message passed to the patient will be received better and understood well hence reducing any errors. Untrained interpreters may violate any existing information that should be maintained confidential from the patient hence increasing the chances of negative results. Professional interpreters not only act as conduits between the two parties but also as a cultural liaison between the patient and the physician. Malpractice risks encountered in the health setting due to language barriers can only be dealt with when professional interpreters and translators are used in the field. This will help improve adherence and satisfaction to the patients when they are under treatment. Importantly, certified translators and any professional interpreter work with principles that bilingual translators may not have in their personalities. Ideally, these professional interpreters have the ability to interpret impartially, accurately and effectively.  Interpretation and translation in the healthcare industry are specialized hence some of these terms and vocabularies cannot be familiar to these ad hoc interpreters hence they can become a biased way of passing the information between the two parties. Predominantly, licensed medical experts can be counted on fully even during important public health functions that may otherwise be held. (“Standards of Quality in Patient Care: The Importance of Risks and Standard Setting”, 1988)

The main importance of using these licensed translators is that they understand the subtle balance that needs to be maintained between the clinician and the patient.

Comparatively, even though using licensed translators may seem expensive, the use of certified interpreters is actually cheaper as lawsuits that may arise from mistreatment or misdiagnosis due to language barrier are avoided. Additionally, these trained interpreters help the situation become less nerve-racking as they are also taught on how to handle the patients and not inflict fear to the patients. These certified interpreters are able to understand the cultural concerns and body language which cannot be possible when using phone interpreters. In conclusion, the use of certified trained medical interpreters and translators is the best option for any health facility compared to using bilingual translators or phone interpreters.