We Need an Interpreter
You’re being asked to make decisions in a language you don’t fully understand, or someone you love can’t follow what the medical team is saying.
Ask for a qualified interpreter before an important conversation continues.
Many health care organizations are required by federal civil-rights laws to provide language assistance when it’s needed. When those requirements apply, the assistance must be provided free of charge.
Ask for an Interpreter
Say:
“We need a qualified interpreter for [language]. Please use an interpreter for important conversations and note that need in the chart.”
Name the specific language. If the person speaks a less common language, dialect, or regional variation, say that too.
Someone who speaks a related language isn’t automatically the right interpreter.
For important medical conversations, ask for the organization’s qualified interpreter service rather than relying on a relative or friend. Children generally shouldn’t be used to interpret. In an emergency, temporary communication may be necessary until a qualified interpreter can be reached.
If a family meeting, hospice admission, procedure, or discharge is being scheduled, ask for the interpreter ahead of time.
Ask how to reach interpreter or language services, and write it down.
If the Conversation Starts Without One
Say:
“Please connect the interpreter before we continue.”
If no in-person interpreter is available, ask:
“Can you use your phone or video interpreter service?”
If that doesn’t resolve it, ask for the charge nurse, supervisor, patient advocate, or patient relations.
If language assistance that should be available is still being refused, ask who handles civil-rights complaints, or contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
If the Person Is Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Ask the person what communication method works for them.
Simple exchanges may work with writing or captions. More complex conversations may require a qualified sign-language interpreter or another communication aid.
If video remote interpreting is used and the connection, screen position, or image quality makes it hard to follow, say so:
“This method isn’t working well enough for the person to understand and participate. What other communication option can you provide?”
If Care Is at Home
If hospice or home health is involved, ask how interpretation will work for visits and after hours.
“If we call the 24-hour number at 2 a.m., how does the interpreter get on the call?”
Ask for the language need to be documented before admission, or as soon as it’s identified.
If You’re Asked to Sign Something You Don’t Understand
Say:
“I need this explained through an interpreter before I sign.”
Ask whether the document is available in the person’s language or can be reviewed with an interpreter.
Signing the form doesn’t fix a conversation the person didn’t understand.
Before You Stop
Confirm:
- the correct language or communication need is in the chart
- an interpreter is arranged for the next important conversation
- there’s a plan for nights and after-hours calls if care is at home
- the person can explain what was decided and what happens next
Helpful Resources
File a civil-rights complaint if required language assistance is being refused. Also 1-800-368-1019.
What health care providers must do so people who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand and participate.
Learn More
Information about your right to language assistance in health care and other HHS-funded services, including free interpreter and translation services when required.