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Talking
about Language & Health Language: Questions & Answers
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. 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. 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. Got a question? Share it on the Exchange members' discussion
forum. Tools: National resources Better Communication for Better Care: Provider Tools for Diverse Populations Resources produced by the Industry Collaboration Effort of Health Plans. Contains lists of companies that provide interpreter-related services and more. Meet Rex, the talking pill bottle Medivox Rx has developed Rex, a disposable “talking bottle” that provides audible label information and thus makes information about their medications more accessible to people who are elderly, visually and cognitively impaired, illiterate, or speak a different language. Health Information Translations An Ohio-based collaborative initiative to improve health Education for Limited English Proficiency Patients; includes a searchable database of hundreds of materials. Preventive Health Guides for Spanish-Speakers over 50: Two new checklists to help Spanish-speaking men and women over the age of 50 decide which preventive medical tests they need and when they need to get them are now available. An accompanying wall chart that can be posted in both clinical and community settings, also provides information about recommended preventive services. All checklists and the two wall charts are downloadable at the link above, or available by mail, by sending an e-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov. UnitedHealthcare’s Spanish-language Web provides bilingual (English/Spanish) information, resources and interactive programs designed to engage Hispanics in playing a greater role in their health and well-being. Additionally, visitors can locate Spanish-speaking physicians within UnitedHealthcare’s nationwide health care provider network; find healthful recipes to help improve their diets; take part in activities such as quizzes and calculators that help them assess their risks for certain illnesses; and much more. Speaking Together: National Language Services Network program, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, aims at improving the quality and availability of language services offered at hospitals. Learnings from Speaking Together have been compiled into a toolkit offering detailed guidance to other hospitals nationwide on how to build a high-quality language services program. Here are two new free resources related to telephone interpreting:
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. Interviewing Clients Across Cultures: A Practitioner's Guide. Guide covers nonverbal communication in interviews; working effectively with interpreters and building rapport. 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. 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. 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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How would you know that I speak French? Many African immigrants speak French. Guessing is no substitute for asking. Learn how and why to communicate in the right language. |
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.
