CLAS Standard 7: Competence of interpreters – Use of untrained individuals and/or minors as interpreters should be avoided According to CLAS 7: Untrained family, friends, minors, and staff often do not possess the necessary skills to provide meaningful language services. Moreover, given their relationship to the patient, the use of friends, family members, and minors [...]

CLAS Standard 7: Competence of interpreters – Use of untrained individuals and/or minors as interpreters should be avoided The use of clinical and nonclinical staff who speak a non-English language but who are untrained in medical interpretation can pose potential safety risks (Regenstein et al., in press). Research has shown that when clinicians speak a [...]

Working with an interpreter involves clear, direct communication. The Washington State Health Care Authority Interpreter Services Program has developed this checklist for working with an interpreter. Some items on the checklist: Look and speak directly to the patient, not the interpreter. Please wait for the interpreter you requested before starting the appointment. Always speak in [...]

I was talking with a colleague about Title VI. Interpreters are supposed to uphold Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and I was checking what, exactly, that meant. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial [...]

The Minnesota Department of Health gives these recommendations for working with a healthcare interpreter. As professional interpreters, we often introduce ourselves telling the provider… “and please speak directly to each other. I am simply here to be your voice in the other person’s language, saying exactly what you say.” Often, doctors inadvertently lapse into this [...]