Talking about Language & Health
News • Questions & Answers • Tools

Overview: Minnesota is a polyglot state. Over 95 different languages are spoken in the homes of children in Minnesota’s public schools, according to the Minnesota Department of Education. These language include such rarities as Persian, Icelandic, Wolof and Yao, but the six major languages other than English spoken in Minnesota are (in descending order of frequency) Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Russian, Vietnamese and Arabic.

Federal laws and state regulations guarantee equal access to all patients in a health care facility, including those with limited English proficiency. The U.S. government defines people with limited English proficiency as those who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English.

Someone who has limited English proficiency may be highly educated and speak several languages other than English. Interpreters and translators, once infrequent visitors to health care facilities, are fast becoming indispensable members of the health care team. They can help monolingual health care providers bridge the language gap.

News
Latest research and opinion on language and health

• New! Translation pricing report predicts increased demand Pricing within the US$12 billion-plus translation services industry has remained relatively stable in recent years, according to a Common Sense Advisory report. "The Price of Translation," includes pricing data in average prices for the 10 languages with the greatest global economic impact (for example, French and Chinese), as well as 23 "next-wave languages" used in rapidly developing markets or in countries that are important to the global supply chain (for example, Arabic and languages of India).
• MedlinePlus patient info now in various languages MedlinePlus now includes a multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. The collection contains over 2,500 links to information in more than 40 languages and covers nearly 250 health topics.
• Free DVDs on tuberculosis in 7 languages Free DVD contains seven versions of a 20-minute show that originally aired on public television in Minnesota in March 2008. Versions in English, Hmong, Khmer, Lao, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese were taped using bilingual and bicultural hosts and healthcare providers with these key messages in common:
  • TB is curable and preventable, and nothing to be ashamed of.
  • If you have TB it's important that you take all of your medicine and follow the advice of a medical professional.
• Docs underestimate usefulness of telephone interpreters Journal of the National Medical Association, April 2008 A study of Spanish-speaking mothers and pediatric residents using a telephone interpreting service found that 94% of mothers interviewed said the service was "very helpful," and 98% said the visit would have been "harder" without the service.
• Language spoken affects colors seen People who speak different languages perceive colors differently, according to a story in the New York Times about recent language research. The Russian language, for example, distinguishes light blue and dark blue as different colors, something English-speakers do not do. The implication for interpreting and health care signage is not explored in the story, but might make for some interesting research.
• Ferret out langage, other data Trying to get data that identifies language ability (ie ability to speak English) by poverty level or other census category? You can create your own cross-comparison tables thanks to a program called "Data Ferret." Sources report it is a bit tricky to learn, but ultimately useful.

Thanks to Hennepin County for assistance in compiling news items. Contact Luanne Nyberg to receive a daily email digest of research headlines.

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Language: Questions & Answers
Equitable treatment for patients regardless of primary language

• What's the difference between interpretation and translation?
• How do I know if my patient needs an interpreter or translated materials?
• What if my patient does not read well, even in his own language?

Q. What’s the difference between interpreting and translation?

A. The goal of both interpreting and translation is the same: to convey the meaning of a message from one language to another. The meaning is the most important part of the process in both interpreting—which deals with spoken messages—and translation, which deals with written messages. Standards of practice in medical interpreting are available on the website of the National Council for Interpreting in Health Care.

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Q How do I know if my patient needs an interpreter or translated materials?

A. The simplest way is to ask. Asking about a patient’s race, ethnicity, or language preference is not illegal or discriminatory, and is, in fact, a hallmark of good care. Most patients appreciate being asked in what language they prefer to receive oral or written information about their health.

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Q. What if my patient does not read well, even in his own language?

Sometimes pictures really are worth thousands of words.

A. If a patient does not read English or their own language well, they may benefit from taped or video materials, if available. But print materials still can be used to reinforce important health messages. Written materials can be read to a patient by family members or interpreters. Interpreters can use print materials as references. Pictures on materials designed for English-speaking patients with low literacy can be keys to understanding for LEP patients as well.

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Got a question? Share it on the Exchange members' discussion forum.

Tools:
Key publications, websites and organizations on language and health

Medical Spanish interactive tutorial This website offers a self-paced medical Spanish immersion, with vocabulary including greetings, history, examination, and everyday speech, all with translation and audio. It is designed to be helpful for a variety of medical personnel.

Improving the Quality of Mental Health Interpreting and Guidelines for Working with Mental Health Interpreters. Although these are reports from Australia, they provide useful guidance for mental health interpreting.

Paying for Language Services in Medicare: A report from the National Health Law Program and Center on budget and policy priorities, examining options for paying for language services in Medicare.

CLAStalk-list mailing list

Office guide to communicating with limited English proficient patients, From the American Medical Association: Excellent printable booklet with questions and answers, tips for working effectively with interpreters, and a guide for when to use different interpretation resources.

National Council for Interpreting in Health Care Standards of Practice for Medical Interpreting Professional standards for medical interpreters.

Hablamos Juntos II – Language Policy and Practice in Health Care:Initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to disseminate lessons learned from ten demonstration sites around the country and to set standards and create practical tools for developing useful health materials in languages other than English.

Providing Oral Linguistic Services and Planning Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services: Guides from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help managed care plans implement cultural competence interventions.

Spanish Site Offers Aging Info Accurate, up-to-date information on health issues affecting Hispanic seniors from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Minnesota connections

Multilingual Health Resource Exchange Library: An online archive of over 2,400 translated PDFs for health education. Accessible to members of the Exchange, a Minnesota partnership. Not a member? Find out more.

Interpreter Stakeholders Group: Interpreters and others interested in promoting high quality medical interpreting meet monthly. Contact chair Carol Berg.

Upper Midwest Translators and Interpreters Association: Promotes the quality and prestige of the translating and interpreting industry in the upper Midwest region; provides networking, training, and development for local language professionals

Maps showing languages spoken by public school students in Minnesota (2006-2007 school year).

Principles for Broad-Based Funding Mechanisms of Interpreter Services: Developed by the Minnesota Interpreter Standards Working Group, November 2007.

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