Translation Services in Hospital Settings

Imagine being admitted into a hospital in a foreign country where the hospital staff does not speak your language. This happens to thousands of people all over the world; many of them are critically ill or injured.

On one hand patients need to understand their medical condition and feel reassured and comforted. On the other hand proper medical care requires good communication between medical staff and the patient. To facilitate this process many large hospitals have translators and interpreters on call to play the critical role of communicators. Institutions can afford interpreters on staff when they have a constant flow of patients that speak specific languages.

But if the patient speaks a language that is seldom handled in the hospital or the institution is too small to afford staff linguists, there is a cost efficient solution: telephone interpretation services which usually can provide an interpreter in a couple of minutes into/from commonly spoken languages.

Medical translators cover a wide range of needs in patient's care. Competent medical linguists many times have had long careers in the healthcare industry, their knowledge of medical terminology must be extensive -in at least two languages- and they must have good communication skills to build a bridge between patients and their caregivers.

Hospital stays can be difficult times for many patients and their families, and they often have questions or concerns regarding their medical options. Medical interpreters provide confidential services that can help the patient feel heard by his attending physicians and reassured.