Quite a large part of the population I work with are Spanish-speaking only although I've had a few Cantonese-speaking, French-speaking and Nepali-speaking patients. No matter the language though, there is one thing for sure. Empathy does not translate.
The hospital I work at has what is considered a typical set-up with the language line. It goes something like this: I use a specific phone ('the blue phone'), click a few buttons, and voila, a person is on the phone who not only speaks English but speaks whatever language I chose as well (the language the patient speaks). The patient picks up the other receiver that is attached to the phone and there we all are together. I introduce myself and tell them who the patient is and give the interpreter the go-ahead to do their introductions. The interpreter introduces themselves with a fairly consistent little speech that I'm sure I'll have memorized one day soon and tells the patient who I am. From there, I talk to the interpreter like I am talking directly to the patient. No third person or whatever. If I want to know the name of the patient's new baby, I would not say to the interpreter, "Can you ask her what her new baby's name is?" I would say instead to the interpreter (while looking at the patient), "What is your new baby's name?" as if the patient understood what I said. I do my best to not sound like a robot and to use reflective listening skills, but gosh-darn-it, some of those interpreters just don't get it.
I find that this happens a lot...
Me: "Congratulations on your new baby. I just have a few questions for you real quick if you don't mind."
Interpreter: "blah blah blah."
Me thinking: there's no way she said all I just said...so I'll repeat what I just said
Me: "I just have a few questions for you real quick if you don't mind."
Interpreter: "blah blah blah blah blah blah"
Me thinking: ok, I recognize some of those words in Spanish, I think she repeated what I said, I'll move on now.
Or sometimes this happens:
Me: "Can you tell me about the baby's father? Is he involved?"
Interpreter to patient: "blah blah blah blah blah."
Patient: "blah blah blah."
Interpreter to patient: "blah blah blah blah blah."
Patient: "blah blah blah"
Interpreter to patient: "blah blah blah blah."
Patient: "Si."
Interpreter to me: "She said yes."
Me thinking: she said yes, what? You talked back and forth to her and I know you said more than what I said because I recognized some of the Spanish words you used, so please just tell me everything that was said!
Me to interpreter: "Can you go ahead and tell me everything that was said and translated, please?"
I've even dealt with some very rude interpreters. The absolute worst is when I'm dealing with a patient who just lost her child (which happens about once every week or so, although not all of these patients are Spanish-speaking) and the interpreter conveys NONE of my empathy, calm voice tone, and/or actively listening cues.
The more I work through the language interpretation line, the more comfortable I have gotten with it and the more I've learned about how I should use it as a practitioner. I've also picked up on a lot of Spanish! I'm no where near being able to actually speak Spanish, but let me tell you - I know a lot of random Spanish words now, especially medical related words! I always make sure to look at the patient when I talk and when what I said is being translated, and I can usually tell what part of what I said is being translated at any given time and try to portray the correlating facial expression during that time. It's not easy though. And I've learned, the more dire the situation, the harder it is.
So basically, I have a love-hate relationship with the language translation line. I'm so thankful that we have it available to use and cannot imagine not having it, but I do wish it was easier on the patient (like I need to learn Spanish!)! I cannot imagine being somewhere for medical care, let alone while having a baby, and not knowing the language. How scary?! (did you recognize that 'tuning in' skill?!)
What's your take on language translation lines? Any experience, good or bad, with it?
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