Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why should I use a trained health care interpreter? Isn’t a bilingual staff adequate?
A: A trained health care interpreter’s bilingual proficiency has been properly assessed and deemed superior. The interpreter is trained in medical terminology, interpretation skills and bound by the ethical standards guiding the practice of health care interpretation.
Bilingual staff members often do not have adequate proficiency in medical terminology nor are they skilled in interpretation techniques. Furthermore, the heavy workload of bilingual staff does not permit them to easily step away from primary duties to interpret for patients.
Providing trained health care interpretation services will also help you to ensure that the quality of your services is not lost in translation. It will promote trust with the patient and will prevent potential medical malpractice from inadequate interpretation by untrained interpreters. Finally, there is a large body of federal and state laws mandating the provision of competent language assistance to limited English proficient health consumers. A partial list of language access laws and regulations include:
Federal Laws & Guidance California Laws & Regulations
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Executive Order 13166
Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) LEP Guidance
Office of Minority Health Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards (OMH CLAS)
Federal Medicaid/SCHIP Managed Care Contracts
CA GOVT. CODE §§ 11135,11139
22 C.C.R. §§ 982100 et seq.
Dymally-Alatorre
Kopp Act
Medi-Cal Contracts
Healthy Family Contracts
SB 853 (Escutia): Managed Health Plans
Q: Is there a difference between a trained and untrained interpreter?
A: Many studies report that untrained interpreters commit more mistakes when interpreting than trained interpreters; these errors include omissions, additions, substitutions and distortions in the meaning of the message. Lack of language proficiency and training accounts for most of these errors. Studies also have found that these errors are of potential clinical consequences that can and do lead to serious harms to the patients. To read personal stories of limited English proficient patients who were not provided with a trained health care interpreter, we invite you to read, “In the Absence of Words".
Q: Can I ask a patient to bring his/her own interpreter?
A: NO! Federal and state language access laws require health care facilities that receive federal and state funding, and managed health plans to provide no-cost interpretation services, or competent bilingual staff to meet the language needs of the limited English proficient patients.
Q: Can I use family members as interpreters? How about during an emergency?
A: Using family members as interpreters is strongly discouraged due to limitations in medical terminology and interpretation skills. Medical visits, especially those to the Emergency Room, can be stressful and traumatic. Family members accompanying the patients may suffer stress and trauma associated with the visit that may hinder their ability to interpret accurately. Furthermore, in some incidences, the limited English proficient patients may not feel comfortable disclosing sensitive information, such as drug use or sexual issues, to their family members to interpret for the provider. Family members who act as interpreters may also have the tendency to answer on behalf of the patient, even when these answers are inaccurate or incomplete. There are laws that require hospitals and clinics to provide no-cost face-to-face interpretation services, use competent bilingual staff or provide telephone/video medical interpretation services in acute care situations. If none of these options are available, a family may use a family member to interpreter but only as the absolute last resort and only until such time the hospital is able to locate an interpreter, competent bilingual staff or connect with a telephone or video interpreter.
Q: Should children be used as interpreters?
A: NO! Children often do not have the proficiency and training to serve as interpreters. Children are often pulled out of school to interpret for their limited English proficient family members. In many instances, these children are subjected to very sensitive medical information and may feel responsible for the health of their family members. To read a personal story about the trauma suffered by a child-interpreter, please read pages 6-8 of “In the Absence of Words”.
Q: How do I request for a PALS for Health/ALAS para tu Salud interpreter?
A: Online
(Main) 213.553.1818
(API Languages) 213.614.1761 or 800.228.8886
(Spanish) 213.627.4850
When calling please have the following information:
Your name (spell it)
Your agency
Your number
Language requested
Appointment date, time, and location
Reason for visit
PALS for Health will call you back if we need more information.
***DISCLAIMER: 4 business days minimum for all interpretation requests. PALS for Health will do its best to fulfill your interpretation request; however there is no guarantee that an interpreter will be available for the date requested. All interpretation requests are based on funding. NO LAST MINUTE REQUEST.
All information you are about to submit will be kept strictly confidential and will
only be used for the purposes of processing your on-line interpretation request
Q: Is there a fee to use a PALS for Health/ALAS para tu Salud interpreter?
A: Provider
Please call PALS for Health at 213.553.1818 for more information.
