일본 의료통역 사업의 현황과 과제 - 한국 의료통역 사업에 대한 시사점을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Medical service is one of the most important considerations for people who plan to live in or travel to Korea. Medical interpretation is a service area that must be given the first priority to improve the access to medical services for migrants or foreign tourists to Korea. Therefore, this study examines a relevant case in Japan which shares a similar background with Korea in terms of social culture, institutions and geopolitics. First of all, the governments of Korea and Japan are similar in that they are promoting medical interpretation service focusing on foreign tourists. However, a careful examination reveals a few differences. First of all, Korea started to implement the Medical Interpreter Certification System ahead of Japan. The most striking difference between the two countries in the medical interpretation service is the level of activity in the private sector. In Japan, private agencies specializing in medical interpretation as well as the Japanese Association of Medical Interpreters are practically providing the medical interpretation service for the government, local governments or private medical institutions. Another noteworthy aspect of the Japanese medical interpretation service is that there is a sincere approach to medical interpretation service as a community interpretation service although the scale is not large at this point. Thus, the medical interpretation service in Korea is ahead of the corresponding program in Japan in terms of form, but there are a few aspects in content that should be noted.