Real Life Situations Require the Support of Professional Interpretation Services:
Bopha Ngun, a 76 year old Cambodian woman was scheduled for cataract surgery, a procedure that removes the lens of your eye that has become cloudy and replaces it with a clear artificial lens. The surgery is normally done with laser assisted technology, takes around 20 minutes to complete and is said to be painless. Mrs. Ngun speaks a moderate amount of English and has no problem getting around and communicating with members of her community. However, she was terrified in regards to her surgery because she was unclear as to what the procedure actually entailed due to her inability to ask the proper questions and understand the advanced medical terminology and information in English. For the first appointment Mrs. Ngun brought her daughter in law with her in order to interpret. Although her daughter in law is familiar with Cambodian, she was born and raised in the states and did not have a firm enough understanding of the language and struggled to interpret medical terminology, thus leaving Mrs. Ngun lost in translation. She left the appointment scared, worried and unsure of the situation she just signed herself up for.
Mrs. Ngun was informed by her granddaughter that she had the right under law to request professional interpretation services for her next doctor’s appointment. During her next visit, an on-site interpreter was present during the entire appointment facilitating clear and concise medical information in a manner Mrs. Ngun was able to understand. The clarity the interpreter was able to provide allowed Mrs. Ngun to fully comprehend the information and the process of the procedure she would endure the following week. She walked away from the appointment feeling a sense of ease and optimism in the fact her vision was going to greatly improve now that she understood the information at hand.
Professional Interpretation Services Are the Solution:
Many limited English proficient (LEP) individuals struggle with simply expressing themselves and understanding patient-provider exchanges. Combating a language barrier is strenuous and difficult for the medical worker and dangerous for the LEP patient who is at risk of receiving poor patient care due to a misunderstanding. Having an unqualified bilingual family member, friend or fellow employee act as an interpreter is a bad idea and can result in a negative outcome. Being bilingual allows a person to travel with ease, order dinner, ask for directions or carry on a meaningful conversation with a native speaker. Interpreting and understanding medical information such as medication usage, post-op patient care and procedure overviews riddled with advanced terminology will be a stretch for a bilingual speaker. Oftentimes the terminology is too advanced, leaving them to struggle in order to find the correct words to use to convert the information from the source language into the target language. There is no need to put patients at risk of receiving poor patient care due to language barriers when there are professional interpretation services available to facilitate communication.
On-site interpretation is conducted face-to-face which allows patients and medical workers the advantage of not only hearing but seeing the interpreter. This produces a clear communication and a more accurate interpretation. When a situation is delicate, emotionally challenging or serious in nature, on-site interpretation is a great choice because it registers words, content, body language and facial expressions. Combined, these aspects provide the most professional and precise interpretation service.
Over-The-Phone Interpretation (OPI):
OPI is a remote interpretation service that connects you with a professional interpreter via the telephone for on-demand or pre-scheduled appointments. OPI is best used for simple exchanges such as appointment confirmations or when there is an immediate need and no time to wait on the arrival of an on-site interpreter. Over-the-phone interpretation services allow for simple conversations to take place quickly and efficiently. OPI is convenient and can be used to connect patients and healthcare workers with interpreters in real time, regardless of location or language needs.
Video Remote Interpretation (VRI):
VRI is a remote interpretation service that enables the transfer of both audio and visual cues. Patients and healthcare workers are connected to interpreters via a sophisticated web-based platform that allows for sign language or spoken language interpretation services to take place. VRI allows patients and healthcare workers to experience the interpretation session in real time without having to compromise the ability to see one another while communicating. Oftentimes hospitals and doctors offices who provide care for large LEP populations, invest in VRI carts which are tablets connected to a portable rolling cart for a user-friendly and convenient way of providing interpretation services.
With so many interpretation services to choose from that can accommodate any schedule, want or language requirement, there is no excuse to put patients at risk of receiving subpar healthcare due to a present language barrier. When medical information is unclear and there is a lack in understanding, LEP patients can in turn feel stressed and uneasy. Provide optimal healthcare and peace of mind to your LEP patients by providing professional interpretation services at your hospital or healthcare facility.
Niki’s Int’l Ltd. is a WBENC-Certified Women Business Enterprise with 20 years of language service experience. A global network of highly skilled interpreters and translators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for on-site, telephonic and video remote interpretation services. Our linguists are available in over 350 languages and dialects, and our network includes certified interpreters and translators. Our work is guaranteed with a $1 Million Errors & Omissions policy, so that you can be confident that your project will be completed with the highest level of quality and professionalism within the field. For more information contact us at 1-877-567-8449 or visit our website at www.nilservices.com.