Decide which of the two you are asking for
You are almost always after one of two things, and they come from different places.
Korean is one of the ten designated citywide languages under Local Law 30 of 2017, alongside Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Urdu, French and Polish. Covered city agencies must translate their most commonly distributed documents into all ten. That duty is about paper that already exists.
The exam room is governed by Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which makes covered health programs provide language assistance free of charge, accurately and on time, through a qualified interpreter. That duty is about the encounter in front of you.
| What you want | Which right | Where to ask for it |
|---|---|---|
| A form, notice or application you can read at home | Translation | Whoever issued the document |
| A conversation you can follow | Interpretation | Registration, before you are roomed |
| Instructions you can act on after the visit | Both, and ask for both separately | The discharge desk |
The interpreter right in full.
What already exists in Korean, in writing
Ask for a specific document by name. “Do you have anything in Korean” invites a shrug, and a named document has a rule behind it.
City agency material is the strongest case: the most commonly distributed documents of covered agencies must exist in all ten designated languages.
On the hospital side, New York State requires the Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance Application to be printed in the primary languages of the patients that hospital serves. Those languages are set by regulatory thresholds rather than by what a front desk keeps on the counter, so it varies by hospital, and asking for it by name is how you find out. Find the policy for any hospital.
Covered health programs also post an annual Notice of Availability saying language help is free, in English and at least the 15 languages most commonly spoken by people with limited English proficiency in the state, a requirement in force since July 5, 2025.
What only exists by phone
Most of what reaches you in Korean inside a clinic is spoken, and it arrives through a phone.
Covered city agencies must provide telephonic interpretation in at least 100 languages, and hospitals use the same route when nobody on site speaks your language. A phone interpreter is a legitimate answer rather than a way of getting rid of you, and the pool on the line is larger than the staff in the building.
The limit is worth naming plainly: a phone call produces nothing you can reread. You leave with what you remember, and by the time you are home explaining it, what you remember has been through two people.
The request that converts talk into paper
After any conversation that decided something, ask for the decision in writing. Then it can be read slowly, shown to someone else, or translated properly.
- A denial. “Please send me the denial in writing, with the specific reason and the appeal deadline.” An appeal argues against stated reasons, and a verbal denial gives you nothing to argue with. How appeals work.
- A financial assistance decision. A New York hospital must give its decision in writing within 30 days. Ask for that letter and keep it, because it is also the document that proves what was decided if a bill arrives later saying otherwise.
- Discharge instructions. Ask for them printed, and ask the interpreter to read them to you before you leave the building. Ask also that both things be noted in your chart.
- The record itself. Your medical record is the written version of what happened, and you can request a copy. How to get your records.
Who should not be standing in for an interpreter
The person who came with you is the most tempting shortcut in the building and the most common way information gets quietly edited.
A family member should not interpret a clinical conversation. A child should never be asked to, no matter how good their English is, and a hospital that suggests it is doing something it should not. Fluency is not the issue: a relative does not have the clinical vocabulary, softens what sounds frightening, and ends up carrying a decision that is not theirs to carry.
Being told to bring your own interpreter is not acceptable either. If that happens, ask for the phone line and ask for the exchange to be noted in your chart.
If the underlying question is which coverage you qualify for rather than what was said in the room, the eligibility tool runs through it in five questions. And for the version of this that happens in a private practice rather than a hospital, the Flushing page covers what to confirm before you book.
Questions people ask
Is Korean one of New York City’s designated citywide languages?
Yes. It is one of the ten named under Local Law 30 of 2017, which is why covered city agencies must translate their most commonly distributed documents into Korean.
Does that mean the hospital must give me every form in Korean?
No. The city agency duty covers city agency documents. New York State separately requires the Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance Application to be printed in the primary languages of the patients a hospital serves, which varies by hospital.
Who pays for the interpreter?
Nobody but the program providing it. Section 1557 requires language assistance free of charge, so an interpreter charge on your bill is an error to dispute in writing.
What makes an interpreter “qualified”?
Proficiency in English and the other language, plus interpreting effectively, accurately and impartially, using specialized vocabulary, without changes, omissions or additions. An interpreter who summarizes instead of interpreting is not meeting it.
My daughter speaks perfect English. Why can she not translate for me?
Because a child should never be asked to interpret a clinical conversation, and a family member should not interpret one at all. Ask for the professional interpreter and let your daughter be there as your daughter.
I only found out afterwards that I misunderstood the instructions. What now?
Request your medical record, which contains the written version of what you were told, and ask the facility for the discharge instructions in writing. Both requests are routine and neither requires a reason.
Sources
- NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs — language access (checked 2026-09-15)
- HHS — Section 1557 and limited English proficiency (checked 2026-09-15)
- HHS — Section 1557 notice of availability (checked 2026-09-15)
More in You Have the Right to an Interpreter — Here's How to Use It
- Getting Care in Russian in New York: The City's Language Rules Stop Before Your Medicare Plan — Russian is a designated citywide language, so city agency documents exist in it. But Medicare, the Savings Programs and long-term care are not city programs: three rules, three desks.
- Getting Care in Bengali in New York: Naming the Language Is Not the Same as Naming the Variety — Bengali is a designated citywide language, but Bengali and Sylheti are not the same and no registration desk knows it. Say which one you speak, and say it again if the match is wrong.
- Getting Care in Haitian Creole in New York: Asking for French Gets You the Wrong Interpreter — Haitian Creole and French are two separate entries on New York City's list of ten designated languages. Asking for the wrong one is the most fixable failure in this subject.
This page explains how the system works. It is not medical advice. More.