17 Apr Are medical interpreters necessary in hospitals?

Language remains a barrier in many fields, but especially in the medical field. This situation raises the question of whether the role of medical interpreters is important in hospitals and health centres. The truth is that it is.

The role of medical interpreters in health centres

The number of foreigners working in hospitals around the world is increasing year by year. The reason is quite simple: globalisation. Advances in technology and transport have made it easier and easier to travel from one country to another. What’s more, most companies now do business internationally, so more and more people are having to make a business trip to another country. This is why the role of medical interpreters is essential to avoid misunderstandings between doctor and patient.

Many people need medical interpreting services in order to be able to communicate with doctors, nurses, clinic or hospital administrators… as well as with patients.

Medical interpreters assist in communication with doctors and patients to ensure that they understand the results of clinical tests, medical advice, the treatments they are to receive… and can give their consent in cases where it is necessary to intervene with the consent of the patient or the patient’s relatives.

What to do when a medical interpreter is needed?

The work of a medical interpreter in a hospital, roughly speaking, consists of two parts: work with patients and work of a more administrative nature.

The work with patients consists of accompanying them from the moment they arrive at the hospital, helping them with the relevant documentation for their admission or consultation, the creation of their medical records, visits to the emergency room, and even accompanying them to any type of test, etc., until they leave, accompanying and interpreting them whenever they need it.

On the administrative side, in most cases, the medical interpreter manages the procedures with the patients’ private insurance companies when they are discharged or when the tests they have undergone are completed, or contacts the relevant health authority in the patient’s country.

The aim of hospital interpreting, also known as healthcare escort interpreting, is to facilitate and enable communication between healthcare staff and the patient and their family. If you need a medical interpreter, contact a specialised medical translation agency which will certainly be able to provide you with this service.