A middle-aged Chinese woman came to the clinic who spoke little English. As the only med student on staff that morning who could speak Mandarin Chinese, I was asked to help with the medical interview. While I wasn't obligated to offer translation help, it was a unique opportunity I couldn't pass up. As a result I've realized a few things:
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1. Translating is very difficult.
Despite being fluent in (conversational) Mandarin, there were many questions I was unable to ask the patient directly. I knew how to say many common medical terms (e.g. hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes), but there were many more that I was simply unable to recall (e.g. cancer) even though I know the words. Furthermore, because I have no training in medical Chinese, there were many things I had to ask in a roundabout way - such as asking the patient if her condition worsened at particular times during her menstrual cycle (that was super awkward).
2. Translating is very time-consuming.
The work-up on that one patient took about 3 hours. Everything is at least doubled in time due to need to work through a translator (me). If I hadn't been available and willing, there was a translation service over the phone - but that might've been much worse, at least time-wise.
3. Knowing at least one other language is invaluable.
Because we live in an ever-increasingly global world, and particularly in the US as a very diverse country, the value of knowing multiple languages is indispensable, especially in the health care fields. Language still remains as a major barrier in delivering optimal medical care. A second language offers more than simply the ability to translate, as languages are almost invariable tied to cultures. As such, a language may offer some insight into cultural values that may prove very useful when treating a diverse patient population.
4. The rapport of the translator is important.
When there is a language barrier, the translator is potentially more important than the doctor. The patient looks to you, the translator, as the doctor's words. While a patient may give respectful deference to the doctor, they really look at you to speak the doctor's words and serve as his/her proxy in a sense. Therefore the demeanor and attitude of the translator is critical to ensure open and honest communication.
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While ideally both doctor and patient speak the same language(s), this is not always possible (indeed, it rarely is). Heck, even if they do speak the same language(s) there may still be communication issues. It is equally unrealistic to require entering medical students to be proficient in more than one language. As such, the role of translators - preferably professional - is critical and often necessary.
Definitely agree with you. Having skilled translators available that are also well versed in medical terminology would probably make life a lot easier. My aunt (doctor) used to get a LOT of calls like that since she's at least quadri-lingual. My other aunt (used to be a nurse?) didn't work at the hospital but was on call for translator duties. Having a reliable system or workers specialized for that purpose would be a great thing...
Woah, quadri-lingual?! That's impressive. :-)