Technical Meets Traditional: Language, Culture, and the Challenges Faced by Hmong Medical Interpreters

Introduction Ineffective intercultural communication can occur due to inaccurate medical interpreting for limited English proficiency (LEP) patients. Research shows that Hmong patients experience poorer quality interpreter services than other LEP populations. This study’s purpose is to understand Hmong medical interpreters’ perceptions of the factors that affect their ability to make accurate medical interpretations during clinical encounters. Method A qualitative study was conducted with Hmong-speaking medical interpreters. The interviews were semistructured, audio recorded, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results 13 interpreters aged 29 to 49 years participated in the study. Three factors affected the interpreters’ ability to make accurate medical interpretations for Hmong-speaking patients: (a) matched gender between the interpreter and patient, (b) culturally taboo topics in communicating about reproductive body parts and sexual health/activity, and (c) culture and generational language differences between interpreters and Hmong patients. Discussion Clinical encounters that match patient–interpreter ages, gender, and/or local culture may reduce communication barriers.

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Assessment and Intervention for Children With Limited English Proficiency and Language Disorders

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/1058-0360.0303.77 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 77-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Celeste Roseberry-McKibbin

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Limited English Proficiency ◽

English Proficiency ◽

Language Disorders ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

Academic Difficulties ◽

Language Differences ◽

Language Impaired ◽

Number Of Children ◽

Assessment And Treatment

The number of children with limited English proficiency (LEP) in U.S. public schools is growing dramatically. Speech-language pathologists increasingly receive referrals from classroom teachers for children with limited English proficiency who are struggling in school. The speech-language pathologists are frequently asked to determine if the children have language disorders that may be causing or contributing to their academic difficulties. Most speech-language pathologists are monolingual English speakers who have had little or no coursework or training related to the needs of LEP children. This article discusses practical, clinically applicable ideas for assessment and treatment of LEP children who are language impaired, and gives suggestions for distinguishing language differences from language disorders in children with limited English proficiency.

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Development of the Medical Interpreting Profession in the US

Handbook of Research on Medical Interpreting - Advances in Medical Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-9308-9.ch001 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-25

Author(s):

Holly M. Mikkelson

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Labor Market ◽

The United States ◽

Role Of Government ◽

The Us ◽

Medical Interpreters ◽

Medical Interpreting ◽

Further Development

This chapter traces the development of the medical interpreting profession in the United States as a case study. It begins with the conception of interpreters as volunteer helpers or dual-role medical professionals who happened to have some knowledge of languages other than English. Then it examines the emergence of training programs for medical interpreters, incipient efforts to impose standards by means of certification tests, the role of government in providing language access in health care, and the beginning of a labor market for paid medical interpreters. The chapter concludes with a description of the current situation of professional medical interpreting in the United States, in terms of training, certification and the labor market, and makes recommendations for further development.

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Equity of access: Consent interpretation program at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PM) in Canada.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2014.32.30_suppl.189 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 (30_suppl) ◽

pp. 189-189

Author(s):

Jasmine Grant ◽

Lindsay Philip ◽

Grace Eagan ◽

Elizabeth Abraham ◽

Pamela Degendorfer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Limited English Proficiency ◽

English Proficiency ◽

Research Unit ◽

Trial Participation ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Care Providers ◽

Access To Treatment ◽

Consent Forms ◽

Medical Interpreters ◽

Equity Of Access

189 Background: Toronto is a multicultural city with over 160 languages spoken by patients. Since 2010, institutional policy requires that professional medical interpreters are used when obtaining informed consent from patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). The availability and cost of these interpreters can be a deterrent for clinical trial participation, particularly when funding is limited. In order to ensure that patients facing language barriers have equitable access to trials, to protect the rights and safety of LEP patients involved in trials, and to improve patient outcomes, adherence to this policy needs to be ensured. Methods: Through a collaboration with the PM Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU) and Interpretation and Translation Services (ITS) supported by the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, a 6-month pilot was initiated with full access to interpretation services for all trial patients in November 2012. The CCRU provided training to interpreters on clinical trials and GCP and interpreters reviewed template consent forms provided by ethics boards to cut back on preparation time and costs when delivering a sight translation of study specific consent forms. Trials staff were trained on the process and given badge tags with instructions. Metrics were collected to monitor the use of professional interpreters. Results: Utilization of professional interpreters in trials increased by 16% during the 6-month pilot and 286 requests have been logged to date. Staff were surveyed and indicate this has streamlined the consent process with 83% of respondents saying the new process is easy/very easy. Care providers feel this has allowed them to approach more patients than before this project. Conclusions: This project ensures that accurate information is provided to all patients contemplating participating in or already enrolled in trials, that all patients have the same level of access to treatment, and that there is equity of access for all patients irrespective of their English proficiency. The increased use of professional interpreters in consent discussions indicates better adherence to policy which has allowed the pilot to continue for another year.

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Comparing the Court and Medical Interpreters in the USA: the certification process.

International Journal of Language Translation and Intercultural Communication ◽

10.12681/ijltic.10662 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 140

Author(s):

Thei Zervaki

Keyword(s):

United States Of America ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

The United States ◽

Federal Courts ◽

Certification Process ◽

Certification Examinations ◽

Court Interpreting ◽

Medical Interpreters ◽

Medical Interpreting ◽

The Usa

<p>The scope of the paper is to provide information on the current Court and Medical Interpreting certification process in the USA. It includes information on the administrative aspects of certification for both Courts and Healthcare institutions. In the United States of America, the term Community Interpreting is not commonly used. There are two major types of interpretation: Court and Medical. The first is offered in US State and Federal courts to all LEP clients; the second is offered to the Healthcare Institutions as hospitals, healthcare<br />centers and clinics to name a few. As the space is limited for this authoring, the paper won’t include data and statistics from different states that showcase and document success and failure rates of the certification examinations. This<br />may well be the topic of a different paper. This paper does not include information on the Court Interpreting for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.</p>

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Intercultural Communication Barriers. China and the USA, The Difficulties of a Dialogue

International conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION ◽

10.2478/kbo-2019-0091 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 258-263

Author(s):

Oana-Antonia Ilie

Keyword(s):

Cultural Differences ◽

Intercultural Communication ◽

Communication Barriers ◽

Communication Process ◽

Mutual Understanding ◽

Language Differences ◽

Intercultural Exchange ◽

Communication Difficulties ◽

The Usa

Abstract When people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds meet, they have to cope with the positive and the negative aspects of the intercultural exchange. Barriers such as anxiety, language, stereotypes, prejudice, ethnocentrism, and assumption of similarity instead of difference are the most significant ones to consider. This paper aims to discuss the main difficulties that individuals of various cultures and heritages may face during the intercultural communication process. In particular, this paper takes a closer look at the cultural differences between China and the USA, and at some of the current communication difficulties that the two countries face, caused by lack of mutual understanding, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, prejudice, language, differences of nonverbal indices, political and economic causes.

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Interpreting services provided during consultations in the medical sector : identifying shortcomings

10.51415/10321/1438 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Thabani Robert Khumalo

Keyword(s):

Limited English Proficiency ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Language Barriers ◽

Medical Setting ◽

Medical Practitioners ◽

Medical Sector ◽

Medical Institutions ◽

Medical Interpreting ◽

English Speaking ◽

The Difference

The study focuses on the interpreting services provided during consultations in the medical setting. It looks broadly at the communication deficiencies created by the difference in the languages spoken by both medical practitioners and patients during consultations. Several times, the researcher’s personal experience has shown that isiZulu speaking patients are frequently consulted by English speaking doctors whenever they visit medical institutions. Consequently, as a result of this situation, these isiZulu speaking patients with limited English proficiency find it difficult to fully express all their medical conditions to the English speaking doctors and vice versa due to the existing language barriers. These language barriers are most likely to give rise to inferior medical assistance to isiZulu speaking patients. Furthermore, the nurses find themselves being ad hoc interpreters in this regard based on the assumption that they are bilingual. However, their linguistic and interpreting ability are not considered. The study therefore investigates the possible shortcomings and also looks at the implications most likely to occur as a result of reluctance to provide professional medical interpreting services. The data is collected from medical practitioners (doctors and nurses) and patients. From the results obtained, the researcher suggests possible recommendations in order to address the identified shortcomings. Lolu cwaningo lumayelana nokutolika ezikhungweni zezempilo. Lugxile ekubhekeni izinkinga zokuxhumna ngokolimi ngenxa yokwehluka kwezilimi ezikhulunywa abasebenzi bezempilo kanye neziguli uma zize ezikhungweni zezempilo. Umcwaningi usebone izikhawu eziningi ukuthi uma iziguli ezikhuluma ulimi lwesiZulu ziya ezikhungweni zezempilo zivame ukusizwa odokotela abakhuluma isiNgisi. Ngenxa yalesi simo , iziguli ezingasazi kahle isiNgisi ziyehluleka ukuchazela odokotela ngokuphelele izinkinga zazo zezempilo, kanjanlo nodokotela bayehluleka ukuxhumana kahle nazo. Lezi zinkinga zokuxhumana, zingaba nomthelela omubi wokuthi iziguli ezikhuluma isiZulu zingatholi usizo olugculisayo lwezempilo. Ngenxa yalesi simo, abahlengikazi bagcina bezithola sebengotolika ngenxa yokuthi kucatshangelwa ukuthi bayakwazi ukukhuluma izilimi zombili. Akube kusabhekwa ukuthi bazazi kangakanani izilimi lezo kanye nokuthi bayakwazi yini ukutolika. Ucwaningo lubheka izingqinamba ezikhona kanye nezingenzeka ngenxa yokungahlinzekwa ngokutolika okusezingeni elifanele ezikhungweni zezempilo futhi kungahlinzekwa abantu abaqeqeshiwe. Imininingwane yokwenza lolu cwaningo iqoqwe kubasebenzi bezempilo (odokotela kanye nabahlengikazi) kanye neziguli. Umcwaningi ube esenza izincomo ezingasiza ukuqeda izinkinga ezitholakele emuva kokuba esethole imiphumela.

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Immersing in problems: Challenges of women living with the husband on hemodialysis

Nursing Practice Today ◽

10.18502/npt.v6i4.1941 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Nayereh Baghcheghi ◽

Tahereh Ashktorab ◽

Naiemeh Seyedfatemi

Keyword(s):

Hemodialysis Patients ◽

Support Network ◽

Role Overload ◽

Medical Sciences ◽

Main Category ◽

Community Health Nurses ◽

Content Analysis Method ◽

Conventional Content Analysis ◽

The Many ◽

Patients Experience

Background & Aim: The caregivers of hemodialysis patients experience a heavy caregiving burden. More caregiving pressure and burden have been reported of the women than men insofar as they are encountered with more physical and psychological problems. This paper explores the challenges faced by women living with husband on hemodialysis. Methods & Materials: The study followed a conventional content analysis method. The participants were selected through a purposive sampling method in hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, in 2017-2018. The first author performed semi-structured, individualized interviews with 14 participants. Results: By analyzing the data, the main category "Immersing in problems" was extracted with two following categories: 1- Inadequate support network (subcategories: inadequate informational support, inadequate instrumental support, inadequate emotional support) and 2- Difficult coexistence with problems (subcategories: role overload, worry and anxiety, fear and hope for the future, suffering of frequent dialyses). Conclusion: The findings of the study showed that women living with the husband on hemodialysis have been encountered with challenges and numerous stressing factors in the course of caregiving. Given the challenges experienced by participants, telenursing, and community health nurses can play an essential role in eliminating the many problems of hemodialysis patients and their caregivers.

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Educating Clinicians to Improve Telemedicine Access for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Challenges ◽

10.3390/challe12020034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 34

Author(s):

Tiffany M. Shin ◽

Pilar Ortega ◽

Karol Hardin

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Limited English Proficiency ◽

English Language ◽

English Proficiency ◽

Care Delivery ◽

The United States ◽

Patient Portals ◽

Medical Interpreters ◽

Language Needs ◽

Electronic Health Information

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the rapid incorporation of telemedicine into healthcare systems, resulting in increased access challenges for patients in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP). Non-English-language speakers face challenges with telemedicine that magnify pre-existing barriers to language-appropriate care, such as difficulty accessing professional medical interpreters and navigating both electronic health information and online patient portals. Improved medical education on telehealth would increase equitable care for linguistic minorities. Medical education targeting telehealth care delivery should include clinician instruction on working with interpreters in telehealth contexts, increasing patient access to telehealth resources, and addressing patients’ language needs for telemedicine.

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Medical Interpreter Education and Training

The Oxford Handbook of Translation and Social Practices ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190067205.013.23 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 355-377

Author(s):

Indira Sultanić

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Providers ◽

Training Models ◽

Academic Medical ◽

Interpreter Education ◽

Medical Interpreters ◽

Medical Interpreting ◽

Education Medical ◽

Medical Interpreter ◽

Interpreter Training ◽

High Level

This chapter gives an overview of medical interpreter training curricula in a fast-changing, technologized world. This chapter will discuss the training models, training components, challenges, the settings in which training is offered, professionalization, and continuing education. Medical interpreting, which is synonymous with healthcare interpreting, is a situated practice and takes place in various medical contexts. It is performed either in person or remotely. In order for medical interpreters to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers who do not speak the same language, a high level of linguistic and cultural dexterity is required, similar to that of their peers in other settings, such as legal and conference interpreting. The number of academic and para-academic medical interpreter training programs is growing, and more research on the role, training, and technology used for medical interpreting is being published to meet these needs.

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