Characteristics of Good Medical Interpreters

Medical interpretation is an important subset of the field of interpretation that requires the interpreter to possess certain important characteristics. A good medical interpreter must have a strong medical vocabulary. The interpreter must know how to translate basic medical terms such as asthma and x-ray and also advanced, highly specialized terms such as nuclear stress test and sickle cell anemia.

One important characteristic is having utmost respect for the privacy of the patient. Any communication that takes place between a doctor and a patient is confidential. If there is an interpreter present to overcome the language barrier between doctor and patient all communications that take place are still confidential. The interpreter cannot disclose any information about the patient to anyone.

One aspect of medical interpretation that can be difficult to handle is dealing with emergency situations. Sometimes a patient that an interpreter works with on a regular basis will have an emergency appointment and that interpreter will be called upon to go help the patient as soon as possible. In these situations the interpreter should make an effort to go to this emergency appointment, for the sake of maintaining continuity with this patient. In case the interpreter cannot make this emergency appointment the interpreter should follow up the next day to find out the nature of the emergency.

A medical interpreter must show courtesy and respect toward all medical staff, ranging from doctors all the way to appointment schedulers. An interpreter should never giver their own opinion on a matter and should never disagree with a doctor or a nurse. If an interpreter needs to speak to a staff person and that person is busy then the interpreter needs to wait until that person is finished. Medical offices are sometimes stressful work environments; a good medical interpreter will show patience and understanding and not interrupt the work of medical staff.

Alex Uvarov

A&A Languages, LLC.

Characteristics of Good Medical Interpreters