Breaking Down a Tower of Babel
The role of a medical interpreter is becoming more important as the population in the United States continues to expand to include many LEP (Limited English Proficiency) individuals who speak or read a language other than English as their primary language. To meet the rising need of individuals with different language needs, the U.S. must have trained medical interpreters who are culturally competent to provide medical interpreting services to the populations they serve and who are trained to ensure health disparities issued are adequately addressed.
Organizations throughout the country have developed their own standards for interpretive services and medical interpreters, but currently there are no mandatory requirements or standards for either the services or the profession. Steps have been made toward the adoption of codes of ethics by medical interpreters as evidence of their ethical conduct and professionalism in the provision of interpretive services. Although there still is not a nationally accepted certification process for interpreters, organizations in the field of medical interpretation continue to work toward this.
In our mobile society, the ability to provide training for medical interpreters through online and distance-learning components is crucial. While many training opportunities exist in traditional classroom settings for medical interpreters through organizations in the U.S., there is a limited number of online classes for medical interpreters. However, there are many online resources available to aid medical interpreters in professional development. Given the high interest and need for medical interpreters, and interpretive services, the field of medical interpretation should continue an upward trend of growth. Moreover, as diverse populations in the U.S. grow, medical interpreters will become more recognized for playing a vital role in fulfilling the needs of LEP individuals.
--Geraldine Rose Daniels, Montgomery
