Working with an Interpreter
At the very least, communicating with patients with limited ability to speak English requires an interpreter. Although it may seem most convenient to ask family members to interpret, this should be done only as a last resort. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the August 30, 2000 Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Policy Guidance require providers to use professional interpreters. Professional interpreters have been trained to provide accurate, sensitive, two-way communication and uncover areas of uncertainty or discomfort. Often, family members are too emotionally involved to tell the patient's story fully and objectively, or lack the technical knowledge to convey the provider's message accurately. Patients also may be embarrassed to discuss personal matters with family or friends. Avoid placing the responsibility for interpreting with family members or friends unless the patient specifically declines your offer of a trained interpreter or if a professional interpreter is unavailable. Providers who don't ask whether or not their patient wants a trained interpreter may place themselves in violation of the law.
When a professional interpreter is unavailable, family members should be asked to translate the patient's exact words—and to add their own explanation as a separate piece of information. To ensure that the family member is correctly conveying your words to the patient, it may be useful to ask the family member to tell you in English exactly what he/she is going to say to the patient.
 Samuth Koam warns providers that even a professional interpreter may not obtain complete and accurate information from the patient.
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Which of the following are the correct ways to communicate with a patient through an interpreter?
d. Although it may seem natural to look at the interpreter when you are speaking, you want the patient to feel that you are speaking to her/him, so you should look directly at her/him, just as you would if you were able to speak her/his language. It is best to speak in a normal tone of voice, at a normal pace, rather than pausing between words. Because of differences in grammar and syntax, the interpreter may have to wait until the end of your sentence before beginning to interpret. Do pause after one or two sentences to allow the interpreter to speak. When you need further information, or need to clarify what the patient has said, clearly tell the interpreter what you want asked of the patient. Although you may ask the interpreter to add his or her opinion of what the patient really meant, try to get as close as possible to the patient's actual words and intent. |
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