When Words


Fail For Communication


Tools


With increasing frequency, medical professionals encounter situations where medical outcomes can be seri‐ ously hindered by language barriers. The inability to communicate quickly and accurately with a patient can easily result in serious health consequences. In such situations, anything and every‐ body available is used to support com‐ munication, from a friend or family member (often with poor English themselves), over‐emphasized ges‐ tures and body language, and crudely scribbled drawings, to in some cases, fortunately, a trained language inter‐ preter.


There have been significant efforts to address these issues, but by them‐ selves, they are not enough. For exam‐ ple, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires the provision of equiva‐ lent care to everyone regardless of an individual’s language skills, organiza‐ tions such as the Joint Commission have created stringent standards for language access in healthcare organi‐ zations, and certification standards for medical interpreters are quickly grow‐ ing more important. But, in the critical


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