Tips to deal with a medical interpreter successfully

Since businesses have become globalized today, the scope to reach out to expansive consumer base has increased. But this has raised a simultaneous concern as well.  Companies get connected with international clients who do not understand their native languages!

Let us take the example of the healthcare sector. You will often find that renowned international hospitals get patients from different parts of the world. This has made it vital that these hospitals appoint medical interpreters to establish smooth communication between hospital staffs and the patients. 

So, if you operate in the healthcare sector and have thought of collaborating with a medical interpreter, follow these tricks to make your collaboration a rewarding one.

·         Appoint trained personnel only

You will never get the precision you deserve in interpreting and translating a French medical document into Spanish if you hire a general Spanish interpreter in place of a Spanish medical interpreter.  An unskilled person will never be able to read the medical terms accurately. His half-hearted will eventually make you unaware of the actual contents of that document. As a consequence, your business will suffer! So, do not mind spending a few bucks more and hiring a skilled person if you wish to make your business prosperous.

·         Make the selection carefully

You must be aware of the services provided by the interpreter before you finally initiate the appointment procedure. Ask the medical interpreter if he will provide only interpretation service for live conversations or translate the medical documents too. If you find that he is charging for interpretation service only, he might not be your ideal choice.

·         Plan a short meeting with the interpreter

Once you have selected the most deserving candidate, arrange a prior meeting with him. Inform him about issues such as your organizational goals, the services you provide to your customers, the extra facilities and what are the rules and regulations of your organization.   A prior knowledge on your organization and the organizational goals will help the interpreter in communicating with the non-native patient just that way you and your team would have done. As a consequence, the experience will be smooth from the end of the interpreter, your patient and your medical team. 

·         Schedule the meeting properly

Ask the appointed interpreter to come to your healthcare clinic right at the time you have scheduled the meeting of your native medical staffs with the non-native patient. Neither your medical team nor your patient will understand what you are talking about if you do not have a Spanish translator and interpreter with a medical background.  Thus, your business will suffer a lot as many doubts and queries will remain unanswered in absence of the proficient Medical Interpreter.