Using Bilingual Staff Members as Interpreters.

This article focuses on using bilingual staff members as interpreters. Caring for Hispanic patients who speak little or no English can be a challenge. Most bilingual staff members have not been trained to provide interpretation services. To help them fulfill this role, one should encourage them to seek training in this area. Using the universal form of the language is especially important when patients are from a different region or country than the staff member doing the interpreting. Introducing the interpreter to the patient prior to the medical encounter will give the interpreter an opportunity to explain his or her role. Doing so may also make the patient more comfortable.