INTERPRETERS IN HEALTHCARE: A CONCISE REVIEW for Clinicians

Healthcare interpretation is much more complex than simply having an individual who is bilingual available to translate for the patient and the provider. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,1 more than 60 million Americans speak a language other than English at home, and more than 25 million Americans speak English “less than very well”. Patients with limited English proficiency experience challenges accessing healthcare and are at higher risk of receiving suboptimal healthcare than native English speakers.