Page 15 - The Medical Interprete

1. An Overview of Medical Interpreting

Medical Interpreting Errors: An International Problem
The problem of unqualified medical interpreters is not limited to the United States. It can be found in
many or most countries around the world. Here is one story.

British mother Teresa Tarry lost her breasts to an unneeded double mastectomy in Spain eight years ago,
after a translation error led her doctors to believe she had a family history of breast cancer. According
to the Daily Mail,

She claims doctors believed that both Teresa’s mother and sister had suffered from breast
cancer after a translation error ended up on her medical records. Then she struggled in
speaking to the doctors.

In reality, she has no family history of cancer, so it was unnecessary to remove her breasts.
The worst part? The lump she originally sought help for wasn’t even cancerous! After losing her job
and living what she describes as “an eight year living hell,” she is now suing the hospital for €600,000
in compensation. 6

Training and professional associations

During the 1980s and 1990s, the first medical interpreter training programs launched. In 1986,
the Massachusetts Medical Interpreters Association (MMIA) was founded (in 2008 it became the
International Medical Interpreters Association, IMIA). The California Healthcare Interpreting
Association (CHIA) came into being in 1996.

The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) began as a working group in 1994,
and later became a nonprofit advocacy organization that is still, today, the leading national voice for
language access in healthcare. The founders felt the need for the specialization of medical interpreting
that, unlike legal or conference interpreting, could address issues like patient safety, language access
and positive health outcomes.

The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), founded in 1964 and
incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1972, is the largest nonprofit
interpreting association in the country, with 16,000 members and 58
chapters in 2016. While RID has many different certification programs,
none is specific to medical interpreting. However, RID has had a huge
impact on medical interpreting for signed language interpreters, both Deaf
and hearing.

All of these organizations, and many young healthcare interpreting associations
across the country, have worked hard to professionalize the field. Many passionate
people have donated time and expertise to create this profession, not only interpreters but advocates,
policy makers, consumers, healthcare institutions, language services and other stakeholders. Most
important, they have all helped to make LEP patients safer. Today, thanks to their work, the United
States is a world leader in the field of medical interpreting.

6 Retrieved from http://www.k-international.com/blog/medical-translation-gone-wrong-4-devastating-examples/

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