Many excellent medical translation and interpretation resources are available online; here is a selection from Language Translation, Inc.

Since the launch of our Medical Translation and Interpretation blog, I have discovered a number of excellent online resources that should be of interest to medical establishments seeking to improve their language services.

Here is a selection of 3 PDF documents that can be considered essential reading for medical staff involved in cultural and linguistic issues:

1. One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations

Published by The Joint Commission in 2008, this 60-page document presents the results of a study designed to “better understand how the challenges associated with cultural and language (C&L) barriers are being addressed at 60 hospitals across the country.”

2. The IMIA Guide on Medical Translation

This January 2009 document released by the International Medical Interpreters Association provides a relatively short (20 pages) yet pertinent guide to best practices in medical translation.

3. A Medical Interpreter’s Guide to Telephone Interpreting

Also published by the IMIA, this concise guide introduces medical personnel to the basic concepts behind telephonic interpreting.

These three documents can provide much food for thought to hospitals and other medical establishments as they work to provide better health care for all through medical language services.

Betty Carlson

See Also

• Language Translation, Inc.
  A leading language translation and interpretation service provider for more than 20 years.