Excerpt from: Medical Translation and Interpretation
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| March 12, 2010 | | Some hospitals or health care plans employ “dedicated staff interpreters,” whose sole function is to provide language interpretation services. | In the second of our series of posts about different categories of medical interpreters, we will examine the role of “dedicated staff interpreters.”
Dedicated staff interpreters are employed as full-time or part-time interpreters for a hospital, health care facility, or health care plan. In areas where a high percentage of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) patients speak the same foreign language, this is easily the most desirable solution. It can be difficult and costly, however, to provide dedicated staff interpreters for dozens of languages.
Dedicated staff interpreters are generally trained language professionals and should provide accurate, efficient interpretation services. However, facilities need to monitor their skills and provide them with continuing training.
One of the biggest problems with dedicated staff interpreters is that there simply aren’t enough of them, which is why health care facilities often turn to ad hoc interpreters, family members – including children -- or even other patients.
At Language Translation, Inc.
in San Diego, medical language services are among our specialties. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. “We speak your language – and theirs.”
Betty Carlson | | |
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