Face to Face Interpretation services in UK | Court Interpreters | Public Service Interpreters | Interpreting company | Community Interpreters

1. Maintaining Patient Confidentiality during and after Interpreting
and Translation
Communication is the key to any universal line of work and throughout the world, language
interpretation permits effective communication between individuals undoubtedly. Before we even start
talking about interpreting and translating services let us understand the key difference between an
interpreter and a translator. To keep it concise, an interpreter converts oral messages from one language
to another and a translator converts written text from one language to another. Interpretation is usually
performed in real-time. It is an extremely rapid process, whereas translation on the other hand is largely
text-based and can be created prudently. Both services however intend to retain effective
communication but have different limitations.
In healthcare, interpreters are accountable for providing face-to-face interpretation services between
patients and providers merely to facilitate support for a treatment plan. This involves discussions
between the patient, family members or a patient representative, and they serve to help provide
information considering all aspects involved in inpatient care. Despite challenges, the major objective
of health care interpreters is to provide language access to save lives and protect the health and well-
being of patients.
Health care interpreters translate health care documents by orally translating a written document into
the patient’s preferred language. They may perform them by doing a face-to-face interpretation,
interpreting over the phone or through video calling (remote interpreting), depending on the
need/urgency of the translation to be done. Health care interpreters often educate other members of the
health care team regarding the duties, requirements, protocol, ethics and standards of practice involved
in health care interpreting.
Health care interpreters work in a variety of health care settings, including hospitals, nursing homes,
clinics, private offices and rehabilitation centres. With the advances in technology healthcare nowadays
is available to all and is accessible by anyone and from anywhere, irrespective of the location. Many
health care interpreters perform their work mostly onsite but now it is also performed over the telephone,
using video technology to facilitate remote patient care and monitoring. They may offer these options
on a 24/7 basis or in addition to on-site interpreting, depending on patients and healthcare providers
requirements.
At all times the medical interpreter warrants a complete understanding between the parties. Bridging
the cultural gaps between the patients and healthcare providers helps acquire adequate information
effortlessly. In addition to this, the duties of a medical translator in a health care setting involves
performing several translating tasks that include simplifying any terminologies merely to ensure that all
medical information is understood by the patient and family. Some of the vital tasks include
Translating Medical Information and Terminologies
A wide range of medical information and terminologies are involved and this must be translated
accurately to a patient who speaks a language other than English. The key task of a medical interpreter
is to interpret and translate all the critical medical information precisely to aid the patient make his own
decisions aptly. Besides this medical interpreter also assists in translating medical documents like
content regarding a procedure, consent forms, insurance claim forms and so on.
Maintaining Patient Privacy and Confidentiality
In healthcare, patients’ privacy and confidentiality must be preserved and conserved with utmost
diligence following hospitals policies and procedures. The relationship between the healthcare provider

2. and patient is based on trust and there is loads of information on the patient’s database. It is the
responsibility of the healthcare provider to keep them confidential and prevent any misuse
Establishing Positive Interactions
The medical interpreter strives to maintain the decorum of the healthcare setting by providing a calm,
comfortable and promising atmosphere while they discuss any sensitive information. It is crucial to
avoid any cultural misunderstandings if any between patients and healthcare providers.
Assisting in Follow-ups
A medical interpreter will assist patients with their follow-up as necessary on the phone with follow-up
phone calls and check-ins, and accompanying patients to follow-up their appointments. The act of
contacting a patient or caregiver at a later date after discharge is also a key responsibility of the
healthcare provider/interpreter. This ensures checking patients progress and well-being, also aids to
identify any misinterpretations to the questions, making further assessments and adjusting treatment
plans.
Enhancing Self-Competence
Healthcare interpretation requires immense concentration and focus in their tasks. Training programs
provide effective strategies for language professionals to become successful remote interpreters, absorb
the process of remote interpretation, common challenges and solutions, expectations and performance
requirements. These training programs aim to assist translators and interpreters in expanding their
knowledge base, vocabulary and honing their skills for better performance and achievements.
Nonetheless, medical terminologies are challenging and difficult to understand. Not everyone can
understand them easily. The medical interpreters at Language Interpreters are qualified professionals
with effective communication skills who performs the task of conveying complex information at ease
and precision into simple wordings. The translation and interpreting services offered by the team are
fastidious and lawfully binding. Hence medical Interpreters are proficient in explaining even the most
complicated medical terminologies and concepts to the patients/family thus aiding in providing the best
care with utmost diligence meticulously.