America is a multilingual nation. Though a majority of the nation speaks English as their primary language, a growing percentage – currently about one in every five people – do not. This means that around twenty percent of Americans may experience a gap in communication and information caused by language barriers. Nowhere is this more dangerous than in the medical setting.
Why Medical Translation Matters
Making informed decisions about medical matters is part of giving appropriate consent for treatment and understanding what is happening to one’s own body. Without a thorough understanding of communication made by medical staff to patients, consumers have no way to make these important decisions about their own health and wellbeing.
This is the use of medical translation services, and why they are so important to the American healthcare system and its consumers. Converting documents containing important information about prescriptions, procedures, patient rights and other treatment information into a readable format allows those who need care to receive access to it in a way that provides them with everything they need to make fully-autonomous decisions regarding that care.
Finding the Services You Need
Locating the medical translation services you need for yourself, loved ones or clients can be difficult in some areas of the United States. If these services are not available locally, consider a nationally-certified online linguistics company that can tailor services to your needs. Finding the right provider will help you move toward your goal of every person involved in the healthcare system – patient, provider and others – understanding the services being offered and the steps they will need to take in their own role in the process. With the help of language professionals, more Americans will be able to work together with their healthcare team to make informed decisions and improve outcomes for everyone.
