Interpreter vs. Translator

Is there a difference?

Oral Rendition

Written rendition

Civil Rights Act: Title VI:

No person in the United States shall, on

grounds of race, color or national origin,

be excluded from participation in, be

denied the benefits of, or be subjected to

discrimination under any program or

activity receiving Federal financial

assistance”

Is the delivery of health care services

that acknowledges and understands

cultural diversity in the clinical setting,

respect member’s health beliefs and

practices, and values cross-cultural

communication

In August of 2000, then President Bill

Clinton signed Executive Order 13166,

which required all federal agencies both

to provide guidance to recipients of their

funds on how to comply with Title VI and

to produce a plan on how to provide

language access to their own services.

This prohibits a child under 18 years to be

used as an interpreter in any hospital,

clinic, or physician office in the context of

diagnosis or treatment.

AB 800 would require all health facilities,

e.g., hospitals and medical offices, to

include a patient’s principal spoken

language in the patient’s health record.

SB 853 aims to improve access to health care services for Limited English Proficient enrollees by requiring that we:

Translate vital documents; Capture and track the language preferences

of our membership and communicate to them in their preferred languages;

Ensure the competency of our bilingual staff;

Train employees on cultural diversity and cultural competence.

Health care organizations must offer

and provide language assistance

services, including bilingual staff

and interpreter services, at no cost

to each patient/consumer with

limited English proficiency at all

points of contact, in a timely manner

during all hours of operation.

New American Reality

50 million today

20 years

150 million

Demographic revolution

Health Care Reform

Ensuring communication that is both

linguistically and culturally competent is

vital.

With the utilization of language services

you will be able to accurately

communicate with patients, diagnose and

prescribe treatment for your patients,

regardless of linguistic or cultural

barriers

Conduit

• Exactly (meaning) Clarifier

• Understanding Cultural Broker

• Cultural Beliefs, illnesses

Advocate

• Directs patients

Interpreter Language

Services

Health and medicine among ancestors is

a complex blend of mind, body, religion,

ritual, and science.

Health Beliefs are Key to Understanding

Spiritual views of life on earth, holistic

view of the nature of the universe

(i.e.) illness has physical or spiritual

causes

Consecutive

• Speaker-interpretation

Simultaneous

• Same time the speaker is speaking

Sight

• Reading a document

English to Spanish

Summarization

Language Barriers:

Cultural

Misunderstanding

Complex Medical

Terminology

Not accurate

Spanish is 33%

longer

Lumps all Latinos into Mexican

Demographic

Limited Mayan Interpreters

Low literacy in Spanish

Use of children as interpreters

Wait too long to seek care

Do not return for follow up care

Unknown information: DOB

Unknown medical history

• Confidentiality

• Conflict of interest

• Medical Terminology

Use of minors should be avoided: against the law

Patient may decline

• Hospital staff should document in medical record

• Doctor may ask interpreter to stay

Always when needed

Appointments

Diagnosis

Follow ups

Etc.

Kaiser Permanente Consent Form

Sign Here:___________

Cantonese Translation:

Spit Here: ___________

Gerber Baby Food: French Vomiting

Ford Pinto-Brazil: Slang for Male Genitals

Speak Directly to the patient • You are not rude and will not hurt the interpreter’s feelings

Speak at even pace Pause often Avoid:

• Slang

• Technical Language

• Complicated sentence structure

• Asking multiple question at one time

• Cutting off patient or Interpreters response

Be patient

Pay attention to body language, the same way you would with an English-speaking patient

A picture is worth 100 words! • Use diagrams or

drawings

Respectful Ask questions Do not use children Utilize Interpreter:

Staff/phone/video Compassion Law Right thing to do Higher return visits Higher provider satisfaction rates

Tips for providing Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services • Children under the age of 18 and family and

friends should not be used to interpret • Members should not be asked to bring their

own interpreters • Most hospitals provide language services, 24

hours a day at all points • The offer of, the use of, and the patient’s refusal

of language services and access must be documented in the patient’s chart per SB

853