Introduction: Medical Interpreting is not simply conveying message from one language to another; it also involves complying with codes established by the profession using ethical standards. Ethics in medical interpreting profession refers to a set of values or principles that govern the behavior of members in the medical profession. It sets the guidelines for judging what behavior is acceptable and recommended. Ethical standards that must be followed by a medical interpreter include accuracy, respect, financial gain, confidentiality, barriers to familiarity, influence, impartiality and awareness of culture. The Code of Ethics lists down 3 core values: fidelity, beneficence, and respect for cultures and cultural differences (National Standards for Interpreters, 2005). This paper aims to explain to the readers what tasks are to be followed by a medical interpreter in a diverse society. It is also presented here the goal of medical interpreting, the Code of Ethics to be followed in medical interpreting, and the interpreter’s role in a medical setting. Thesis: What is the role of a medical interpreter when doctors or patients are being racist in a session? The interpreter should simply focus on her interpreting work, and not give importance on racial comments or actions by the doctor or patient.
The goal of medical interpreting - In healthcare interpreting, the goal of a medical interpreter is to get the cooperation of the healthcare team and the patient to attain good health and well-being for the patient. It is their obligation as interpreter to keep the original message given by the patient and the medical practitioner, and not to make any alteration to it.
When translating the messages into the target language, the interpreter writes everything that is said, without altering the message by putting additions or omissions. They have a deep respect for diversity of cultures and cultural differences aimed at preventing any misunderstandings and miscommunication. Therefore, it is important that interpreters have a thorough knowledge about the culture of the source and the target language (National Standards for Interpreters, 2005).
Typical problems in medical interpreting – Considering that healthcare interpreting is a specialized profession in providing assistance for communication between patients and healthcare providers, there is currently a shortage in the availability of qualified interpreters. Because of this, the barrier for patients having limited proficiency in the English language remains to be a problem today. Another problem facing the profession is that to date, there is no authorized body that provides a clear and consistent definition concerning the specific description and competency of a qualified medical interpreter. This leaves the interpreters and healthcare organizations with no guidance in determining the standard qualifications and role of the interpreter. If this will continue unchecked, the quality of medical interpreting across the nation will be uneven and inconsistent. Thus, this will give a problem of incomplete, inaccurate and dangerous lines of communication ((National Code of Ethics, 2004).
Cases of risks in medical interpreting - An interpreter is in a medical setting with a racist patient and a racist doctor. The patient and the doctor talk to each other discriminatingly because the interpreter does not belong to their race. The doctor says, “There’s no need to interpret because we speak the same language. Just leave us alone.” With a feeling of being insulted, the interpreter left them. Solution: Although the controversy here is more on the ethical standards affecting the doctor than the interpreter, it’s the role of the interpreter to stay on the job where he’s assigned by the hospital. In this case, he should not have left the setting without informing the hospital. If the doctor insists that she leaves, then she must refer the doctor to the hospital management (Medical Interpretation, 2013).
A provider gives a patient who is a non-English speaker with a prescription for suppositories. The untrained interpreter was embarrassed to say that he didn’t know how to interpret the word “suppository” in the patient’s own language, so he used the term “pill” instead. After taking the medication orally, the patient ended up in the emergency room. This is an ethical problem in medical interpreting where the interpreter is not a qualified one due to lack of manpower availability and standards of qualifications. Solution: Today, the NCIHC or National Standards of Practice has created new standards in hiring healthcare interpreters, and how they are expected to practice their profession (Medical Interpretation, 2013).
A patient’s husband asks an interpreter what’s the advice of the doctor to his wife. In her effort to help and thinking that it was great news for the husband, the interpreter disclosed that she must take care of herself because she’s pregnant. The interpreter was shocked to see the husband in anger because he just arrived from a distant work assignment that made him away from his wife for 6 months. As the couple leaves the clinic and the husband angrily uttering harsh words to her wife, the interpreter didn’t know what to do. Solution: This is a case showing that the interpreter was not really aware about her responsibilities based on the Code of Ethics for medical interpreting. She must be oriented that it’s not her responsibility to disclose anything to a patient according to the Code of Ethics because her job is only to interpret communications from one language to another, and not to give any information to the client (Medical Interpreting. 2013).
The doctor asks an important question to a patient. The interpreter discussed the question with the patient which took a long time to finish while the doctor stares at them with confused eyes. Finally, the interpreter told the doctor that the patient said “no.” The confused doctor then asked the interpreter precisely what the patient said. The interpreter smiled and simply said, “Nothing important doctor, she just said no.” Solution: In this case, the interpreter did not follow what is written in the Code of Ethics that she must not add or omit something from a patient’s statement. Moreover, the interpreter must eliminate any statement coming from her own values and opinions from the interpreting interaction (National Standards for Interpreters, 2005).
Conclusion: In answer to the thesis, the role of a medical interpreter in a medical setting where both the patient and the doctor are racist is to stay on the job, unless the hospital management instructs her to leave. The job of a medical interpreter is not a simple one because she may be involved in a lot of controversies while doing her job. However, if she’s not well trained on her profession, she will certainly commit blunders, whether intentional or unintentional. A medical interpreter must be highly trained on her job and proficient in another language. She must be knowledgeable on the ethics of interpreting and methods in facilitating clear communications between the patient and the doctor. While staying normally at the background of an interaction, she must be well versed in vocabularies involved in a medical interview with precision in order to avoid committing mistakes that could be fatal at times (National Standards for Interpreters, 2005).
Works Cited:
Golley, Linda. Medical Interpreter Ethics. 2008.
http://www.uwmedicine.org/patient-care/locations/uwmc/
patient-family-resources/interpreter-services/documents/medical-interpreter-ethics.pdf
Medical Interpretation – Code of Ethics.
http://quizlet.com/5367078/medical-interpretation-code-of-ethics-flash-cards/#
Medical Interpreting. 2013.
http://xculture.org/medical-interpreter-training/
National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Healthcare. July, 2004. National Council on
Interpreting in Health Care.
http://hospitals.unm.edu/language/documents/ncihc.pdf
National Standards for Interpreters. 2005. National Council on Interpreting in Health Care.
http://www.ncihc.org/ethics-and-standards-of-practice
