Qualified interpreter

A qualified interpreter is not simply somebody who speaks the language. The federal standard that governs who may interpret for a patient with limited English proficiency is specific: a qualified interpreter is proficient in English and in the other language, and interprets effectively, accurately and impartially, using any specialized vocabulary the conversation requires, without changes, omissions or additions.

Each phrase in that definition rules something out. Proficient in both languages rules out the bilingual staff member pulled off another floor, who follows the patient well enough and then paraphrases the doctor. Specialized vocabulary rules out the willing relative who has never had to say deductible, or biopsy, or informed consent, in either language. Impartially rules out family as a category — a daughter who softens bad news is doing what a daughter does, and it is not interpreting. A child should never be asked at all. And without changes, omissions or additions rules out summarizing: the person interpreting does not get to decide which parts of what you said are worth passing on, or which parts of the answer you need to hear.

The consequence most worth carrying is this one. An interpreter you cannot follow does not meet the standard. If the interpreting is too fast, too quiet, too compressed, or in a variety you do not use, saying so is a legitimate request rather than a complaint about service. I am not following this interpreter, I need a different one is a sentence the hospital is supposed to be able to act on, and the earlier in the visit you say it, the less there is to undo afterwards.

In New York: three things to hold on to.

It is free, and finding one is not your errand. Interpretation costs the patient nothing, and being told to bring your own interpreter is not an acceptable answer. Neither is being handed the job yourself on behalf of a family member.

Telephonic interpretation is a legitimate answer, not a brush-off. When nobody on site speaks the language, a phone or tablet line is the ordinary way this gets done, and it is often the faster route to a correct match than waiting for whoever happens to be in the building that day. The question to ask is not whether the interpreter is in the room. It is whether you can hear and follow them.

A refusal is worth putting in writing. Date, department, the name of whoever you asked, and what you were told. The Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau Helpline, 800-428-9071, takes complaints about hospital conduct, and a dated line is what turns an incident into a record.

One habit improves the match before anything goes wrong: name a variety or region, not only the language. The city’s own designated list names Chinese, for instance, without separating Mandarin from Cantonese, so a request carrying nothing but the language name can leave the assignment to chance. Saying which variety you speak, or where you are from, costs nothing and tends to put the right person on the line the first time.

Also called: medical interpreter, professional interpreter. Full guide: Language access in New York health care.