If you are a medical professional, you no doubt understand the importance of clarity. When explaining test results, treatments, and similar things to a patient, you need to be absolutely certain they comprehend what you are telling them. Even the slightest hint of ambiguity could have disastrous consequences for your patient and your practice. For this reason, doctors and other medical professionals often enlist the services we offer at Languages Unlimited. With our interpreters, you can ensure your next patient fully understands the information you share with them, even if there is a language barrier.
Working With The Hearing Impaired
The United States has a significant deaf population. Additionally, some 10,000,000 Americans are hard of hearing. With numbers like these, a doctor can be certain they will be treating a deaf or hard of hearing patient sooner rather than later. Some deaf or hard of hearing patients may come to your practice accompanied by their own American Sign Language interpreter. However, if you really want to make a hearing-impaired patient feel comfortable, you should be sure to offer to provide a complimentary interpreter if needs be. At Languages Unlimited, we employ a number of skilled ASL interpreters that are fully equipped to comprehend and explain the nuances of medicine to hard of hearing patients.
Expanding Your Practice
If you are a general practitioner looking to expand your practice, it may be necessary to enlist the help of an interpreter. If you are establishing a second practice in a location that has a high population of immigrants, you will likely find yourself working with non-English speakers on a regular basis. As such, you should make a conscious effort to accommodate your non-English speaking patients by keeping a number of interpreters on file. Languages Unlimited can provide you with interpreters to translate a wide variety of languages. With Spanish, Arabic, Korean, and Portuguese interpreters available, we provide medical translation for the most common foreign languages in America.
Working With Asylum Seekers
America has long been a favored destination for asylum seekers. Today, the United States continues to welcome countless immigrants from war-torn countries every day. Given the situation in their home countries, it should come as no surprise that many of these asylum seekers arrive in America in need of immediate medical attention. If you are asked to treat an asylum seeker, it is important to remember that they likely left their home country in a hurry, with little time to learn English. For this reason, you should be sure to provide an interpreter (an asylum seeker likely won’t have the money to secure one themselves).
Conclusion
Doctors provide a valuable service, as do language interpreters. In many cases, it is impossible for the former to provide their services without those of the latter. That’s why we at Languages Unlimited are proud to work with the medical professionals of the United States. Contact our offices today to see how we can help you help your non-English speaking patients.