Interpreters in healthcare are the new age medical facility. Wondering what are interpreters doing in health care? I hear you saying aren’t they language geeks? Following the top trend of the 21st century, millions of people are traveling abroad.
A huge number of people are also taking up opportunities for migrating. But one thing that both of these groups don’t do is learning the language of that area. Interpreters fill in this gap of communication between doctors and patients in healthcare.
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Healthcare is the basic necessity of everyone and you can need it anywhere. God forbid if you fall ill in a foreign land you can’t wait till you get back home to be treated.
Say you are in Spain and have to visit a hospital but you don’t know how to speak Spanish. How will you communicate with a Spanish speaking doctor? You can’t risk your health because of miscommunication. What you can do here is seeking the help of a professional interpreter.
You may find it cool. But this is not that simple as it sounds. It can be hard to trust strange with your health.
Interpreters Using in Healthcare
You will agree with me that trying to communicate with people when you don’t share a common language is very hard. Seeking a healthcare facility in a foreign land is no exception.
People with low language proficiency are at high-risk while availing of healthcare. Some of the problems that one can face are: un-informed consent, and repeated testing. In this case, contacting a language interpreter can be an answer to a number of your problems.
But… but one thing that you can’t miss when seeking the help of an interpreter is: getting in touch with a professional. Now, why is this important? Healthcare is a complex practice.
You certainly don’t want to have an unprofessional interpreter by your side. Not having a professional interpreter will only increase your problems. Because you are contacting an interpreter only due to your lack of proficiency. So if your interpreter is also not proficient then you are continuously at risk.
This can prove to be very tricky. How on earth can you find a professional interpreter in a country that is totally new for you? You can use Connected Care’s Interpreting Services For Hospitals. Using this website you will no longer have to worry about getting misinformed because of the language barrier.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of Using Interpreters In Healthcare
There are in general three types of interpreter facilities in healthcare. Depending on which facility suits you best you can avail of that.
Taking help from the interpreter in healthcare has both its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s view in detail the differences between the three facilities. To help you the advantages and disadvantages are also explored:
1. Face to face Interpreter In Healthcare:
You must have gotten an idea about this type of interpreter facility from the name. But in case you have missed it let me explain it to you. In face to face interpretation facility, you can communicate with the interpreter in real-time.
Advantages:
Face to face or in-person can be the best facility. You will agree with me that nothing can replace real-time presence. Because this allows you to clearly see and hear everything. This eradicates the fear of missing out on anything.
An in-person interpreter being on-site will have a better understanding of the scenario. This will save you from the hassle of explaining minute details.
In face to face facility, the interpreter can even catch the patient’s mumbling. Which can easily be missed in an any-other medium. I know I have got you on this one. You can book your in-person meeting using “Connected Care’s interpreter scheduling platform”.
Disadvantages:
Like every other thing this facility also has some disadvantages. The most common one, in this case, is the non-availability of professional interpreters for language locally. This problem can be solved by using:
“Connected Care’s Interpreting Services For Hospitals”.
2. Telephonic Interpreters In Healthcare:
Yes, you got it right telephonic interpreters deliver via telephone. With the better technology available nowadays everyone can access this facility easily. Some of the advantages of this facility are:
Advantages:
The biggest advantage of this facility is that anyone can access phones anywhere. You can take the help of a qualified interpreter in any language at any time.
With this facility, you don’t have to worry about scheduling an appointment. This facility is available on shorter notice. In case there is an emergency you can always fall back on the telephonic interpreter. Also, it is far more cost-effective than an in-person interpreter.
Look for a reliable source for getting in contact with an interpreter on phone. You can try Connected Care’s Over-The-Phone Interpreting.
Disadvantage:
The only disadvantage of this is not having a stable network. If you’re connecting through social networking app then this problem can be severe. This network issue can stop the interpreter from getting hands-on complete information.
Also in the case of telephonic interpretation, the interpreter has to rely on words. Unlike in-person interpretation here interpreters can’t be aided by body gestures.
3. Remote Video Interpreters In Healthcare:
This interpreting facility is one step ahead of telephonic interpretation. Here both the interpreter and the patient don’t have to rely on words.
Advantages:
If you can’t avail of the in-person interpretation facility then this is the best facility for you. The non-availability of a local interpreter is also not a problem.
You can have the help of the best-qualified interpreter in almost all languages. That too with the added benefit of visual cues. Contact an interpreter via Connected Care’s Video-Remote Interpreting.
Disadvantages:
In remote video interpretation, you can access the facility on short notice. With this, you don’t have to solely rely on verbal information. So you must be thinking what is the disadvantage here?
The only problem with this facility is a constant need for high-speed internet. A bad network will result in bad interpreting. This can affect your diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, check out another relevant blog post on 6 reasons why do hospitals need interpreters?
Conclusion:
Having an interpretation facility in health can prove to be very beneficial. Taking the help of professional interpreters can be helpful. It also cancels out any risk of miscommunication.
When selecting the services keep few things in mind. You may find the in-person interpretation facility the best. But let me tell you that always prioritize having professionals by your side.
When contacting interpreters over the telephone or remote video depends on a reliable source. You can trust Connected Care’s Interpreting Services For Hospitals.