Medical Interpreter

If you’ve ever heard Doctors speak, you’ve probably marveled at the way words like “ablation,” “idiopathic,” “myocardial,” and “stenosis” roll off their tongue. Just because they can say the words, however, doesn’t mean their patients can understand them, as medical jargon often sounds like a foreign language. Imagine, then, how difficult it is to understand when it is, in fact, a foreign language — for instance, when Spanish-speaking patients are treated by English-speaking Doctors.

As a Medical Interpreter, you fill the language gaps between Doctors and patients by translating their spoken words so they can have fruitful Doctor-patient conversations, even when they don’t speak the same language.

Employed by hospitals, clinics, and private practices, as a Medical Interpreter is an Interpreter who’s been trained in medical vocabulary, which means you’re uniquely capable of explaining to patients in their native tongue what their diagnosis is, what their treatment options are, and what medications they’re being prescribed. Similarly, you’re capable of explaining to the Physician the patient’s medical history, symptoms, and concerns.

Because as a Medical Interpreter you work alongside Physicians and Nurses in exam rooms, you’re often a trained Medical Assistant, too, which means you sometimes take patients’ vital signs, update their medical records, and perform other minor duties as necessary. Primarily, though, your job is communication — and also advocacy, as your position empowers you to represent the interests of underserved communities by being their voice, literally speaking on their behalf in medical and sometimes even political situations in order to make sure their language doesn’t prevent them from accessing high-quality health care.