Day Translations Aides Alarming Ad Hoc Medical Interpreter Effects
New York, NY, March 21, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Studies show that ad hoc medical interpreters cause more errors than no interpreter at all. Day Translations, a professional language services company, created a layered solution to both educate medical facilities on the dangers of ad hoc interpreters, as well as provide a solution to the ad hoc epidemic.
An ad hoc interpreter is someone in a healthcare facility who is called upon to interpret for a doctor and patient of different languages, in lieu of a professional interpreter. An ad hoc interpreter is usually a bilingual staff member, a member of the patient’s family, or a self-declared bilingual visiting the building who volunteers to facilitate communication. The proven risks that come from healthcare officials using an ad hoc interpreter involve inexperience with medical terminology, untrained fluency of the languages at had, and bias due to a relationship with the patient.
Reports show that ad hoc interpreters aid communication in the way they feel is best, rather than communicating the accurate facts of the situation. Further, one study that evaluated audiotaped medical encounters with limited English proficient patients revealed that ad hoc interpreters miscommunication actually created more problems of consequence than situations where no interpreter was provided at all.
Day Translations is providing a solution with a team of interpreters specifically trained for medical communication. Comprised of linguists from around the world, the knowledge of this interpreting team extends past their language of expertise. The Day Translations medical interpreting team undergoes hours of medical interpretation training. That, coupled with their experience on the medical floor, equips this team with a thorough understanding of medical terminology, and how it translates specifically into each interpreter’s fluent languages.
“We could provide interpreters that simply have a fluency in the given languages. But when it comes to the medical field, when it comes to saving lives, exact terminology isn’t a mere suggestion. It’s a requirement.” —Sean Hopwood, Day Translations CEO
Hopwood, who started out as a Spanish to English interpreter in his local hospital, understands the severity of precise wording and unwavering confidentiality needed to deliver proper healthcare. Because of this, he requires that all of his medical interpreters undergo strict medical interpretation training, and stay up to date on their HIPAA compliance certification.
To further aid in the need for easily accessible medical interpreters, Day Translations recently created a revolutionary on-demand phone interpreting app called DayInterpreting. This app, accessible from any smartphone, tablet, or computer, instantly connects callers with an interpreter in their chosen language pair. If the caller identifies that the need is for medical interpreting, the call is immediately transferred to one of the medical experts on staff.
“This is the most efficient way to get connected with the proper interpreter in very little time,” says Hopwood.
If a healthcare center would prefer an in-person interpreter for a non-emergency situation, Day Translations also promises to deliver a specialized medical interpreter to any location in the world within 24 hours. For both the over the phone and in-person medical interpreting services, Day Translations keeps their costs on the lower end to encourage medical staff members to take the measures needed to prevent improper healthcare based on a language barrier.
In addition to providing easily accessible, professional medical interpreting services, Day Translations is also making a point to create educational material about medical interpreting requirements. The aim of this material is to promote awareness on the risks of ad hoc interpreters, provide solutions to emergency medical interpreting needs, and ultimately, to save lives.
In a recent social media campaign, the company revealed a check system to verify if an interpreter is qualified for medical interpretation. The post consisted of these three main questions: “Can you respond to basic commands? Can you joke in the language? Do you feel your language skill can hold up in a court of law?”
The goal of Day Translations’ educational material and multi-faceted medical interpretation services is to create a fluent interaction between every patient and doctor, regardless of languages spoken.
“The United States has 3 laws that enforce proper medical care without discrimination,” Hopwood explains. “The purpose of these laws is the same purpose behind our carefully constructed medical interpreting team. It’s to ensure that communication with every patient, in every facility, is equal.”
Day Translations, Inc. is a global professional translation company, honored in the 2018 Inc. 5000 as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. They help individuals, small businesses, and multinational corporations expand their global impact by bridging the language gap, and optimizing marketing strategies. Day Translations is passionate about language, and grateful for the opportunities they’ve had to support humanitarian services, including providing interpreters during the Egyptian crisis of the Arab Spring and supporting Translators Without Borders.
Source: Day Translations, Inc.
