Lisa Morris, MSTD, Director, Cross Cultural Initiatives, Office of Community Programs, Commonwealth Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 222 Maple Avenue, Chang Building, Shrewsbury, MA 01545, 508-856-3572, Lisa.Morris@umassmed.edu

With the growing number of people in the United States who speak a language other than English, there is an increasing demand for bilingual and bicultural medical interpreters in the health care setting. In the past, the use of “ad hoc” interpreters (the “bilingual” individual that is in closest proximity to the provider and patient) was perceived as the temporary solution to the linguistic barrier. This presentation will review pre-assessment and post-assessment data from approximately 300 participants of the Massachusetts Statewide Medical Interpreter Training Program, based at the Office of Community Programs at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Findings will reveal the need for bi-lingual staff to acquire knowledge of medical terminology in order to become medical interpreters, as well as the importance of appropriate medical interpreter training. Spanish, Portuguese, and a possible third language will be included in the analysis. Data will illustrate the most commonly misinterpreted words, common errors frequently committed by bi-lingual staff in their native language as well as in English, and the potential seriousness of these errors in the medical encounter.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives

• Identify and evaluate errors frequently committed by bi-lingual staff and ad-hoc interpreters in the medical encounter with LEP patients.
• Describe the magnitude of the problem and the implications of the lack of trained medical interpreters in healthcare.
• Show how appropriate medical interpreter training contributes to the elimination of health disparities through culturally competent language access services for refugee and immigrant populations.

Keywords: Interpreters, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.