About This Topic

Welcome to this lesson on Communication and Working with Interpreters. There has been an increasing number of immigrants to the United States whose primary language is not English. The latest Census data identified over 300 languages spoken in the United States. Eighteen per cent of U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home. People with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are at risk to receive sub-optimal care and have less satisfaction with their health care encounter despite federal laws that address this issue. Health care providers rely on communication with clients to assess their problems, develop and implement treatment plans, and evaluate the outcomes.

Linguistic competence is one aspect of a culturally competent practice. Health care organizations can improve linguistic competency by providing qualified medical interpreter services, telephone interpretation services, and by having written materials translated into the most common languages of the populations they serve.

What you will learn

After you complete this lesson you will be able to do the following:

• Differentiate between qualified and unqualified interpreter services.
• Effectively communicate with persons who have limited English proficiency.
• Be aware of the legal guidelines for using qualified medical interpreters.
  

To get the most out of this lesson

To learn more from this lesson we recommend that you approach it in the following way:

• Proceed through the side bar items from top to bottom. Go through the course by using the side bar links. Take the quiz last.
• Think about how you have worked in the past with people with limited English proficiency. Are there are any improvements you would like to make for the future?