Provide Language Services Research Articles

Motivations of undergraduate student medical interpreters: Exposure and experience

BackgroundWhen patients do not speak the same language as their doctors, they face poorer medical outcomes, decreased doctor-patient trust, and a diminished desire to seek medical care. It has been well established that interpretation is an essential part of an accessible healthcare system, but effective use of such language services relies on both the interpreters themselves and the healthcare teams working with them. This study presents an interdisciplinary examination of the motivations of undergraduate student medical interpreters, a group which serves as a bridge between these roles. While not full-time interpreters, they receive official training and spend time serving patients in local clinics. Further, for those who aspire to careers in medicine, interpreting provides invaluable exposure to the medical field and early professional know-how.MethodsSemi-structured individual interviews with undergraduate student interpreters were conducted to describe this multifaceted educational experience. A thematic analysis framework was employed to understand how and why they volunteer their time to interpret.ResultsMotivations of student interpreters were found to fall under three general categories: (1) personal identity, or connection to family, language, and their career aspirations; (2) community engagement, or the opportunity to make a direct impact on patients at an early stage; and (3) pre-professional experience, both in general and specifically in healthcare. Each of these contributes to the view of a student medical interpreter as a unique contributor to language equity in medicine, as they provide language services in the short-term as well as set themselves up to be linguistically and culturally competent providers in the long-term.ConclusionsA greater understanding of student motivations adds to knowledge about language mediation and validates the utility of students in this role, encouraging the development of more student interpreter programs. Particularly in communities with high proportions of non-English speakers, these students can contribute to making medical care as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Features of translation policies on the Chinese mainland (1979–2021)

Abstract This research presents a new classification of translation policy by referring to Baldauf’s (2006) framework of language planning. It constructs a policy database containing 363 policy documents issued on the Chinese mainland from 1979 to 2021, and analyzes the features of each policy category by integrating corpus analysis with text analysis. It is revealed that policy documents on translation education aim to train professional translators with standard national tests and postgraduate programs; policy documents on translation profession are committed to improving the professional title system for translators and interpreters; policy documents on translation standardization are supported by national standards and cover various stakeholders and fields; and policy documents on official translation projects aim to disseminate Chinese culture, provide language services for international events, and organize minority language translation. With these findings, this study contributes to research on translation policy with new knowledge about China and a novel perspective, classification, and approach.

Strategies Used by Healthcare Systems to Communicate with Hospitalized Patients and Families with Limited English Proficiency During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, including many with limited English proficiency (LEP). These patients face various communication barriers, including a shortage of available interpreters and the need for masks that exacerbated communication barriers. It is not known how hospitals responded to these unique challenges to providing language services for the large number of patients with LEP during COVID-19. This narrative review assessed literature and lay media to identify strategies utilized by hospitals to communicate with patients with LEP hospitalized during the COVID-19 pandemic. A search of APA PsychInfo, EBM Reviews, Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, Epub Ahead of Print, and Ebsco Megafile initially yielded 61 articles, 6 of which were ultimately included after reviewing abstracts and full texts. The identified interventions, which sought to increase accessibility of language-concordant care, increase accessibility of professional interpretation, and improve family communication and understanding, were described positively, though only one was tested for effectiveness.

Access to Care Among Adults with Limited English Proficiency.

There are approximately 25.6 million individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the USA, and this number is increasing. Investigate associations between LEP and access to care in adults. Cross-sectional nationally representative survey. Adults with (n = 18,908) and without (n = 98,060) LEP aged ≥ 18 years identified from the 2014-2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey MAIN MEASURES: Associations between LEP and access to healthcare and preventive services were evaluated with multivariable logistic regression models, stratified by age group (18-64 and ≥ 65 years). The official government definition of LEP (answers "not at all/not well/well" to the question "How well do you speak English?") was used. Access to care included having a usual source of care (and if so, distance from usual source of care, difficulty contacting usual source of care, and provision of extended hours), visiting a medical provider in the past 12 months, having to forego or delay care, and having trouble paying for medical bills. Preventive services included blood pressure and cholesterol check, flu vaccination, and cancer screening. Adults aged 18-64 years with LEP were significantly more likely to lack a usual source of care (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] = 2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.27-2.70), not have visited a medical provider (aOR = 2.02; CI = 1.89-2.16), and to be overdue for receipt of preventive services, including blood pressure check (aOR = 2.00; CI = 1.79-2.23), cholesterol check (aOR = 1.22; CI = 1.03-1.44), and colorectal cancer screening (aOR = 1.58; CI = 1.37-1.83) than adults without LEP. Results were similar among adults aged ≥ 65 years. Adults with LEP had consistently worse access to care than adults without LEP. System-level interventions, such as expanding access to health insurance coverage, providing language services, improving provider training in cultural competence, and increasing diversity in the medical workforce may minimize barriers and improve equity in access to care.

A Checklist to Address Implicit Bias in Healthcare Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The PLACE Strategy.

A Checklist to Address Implicit Bias in Healthcare Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The PLACE Strategy.

Bridging the Gap: A Palliative Care–Modeled Goals of Care Curriculum for In-Person Spanish Interpreters Providing Language Services to Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Bridging the Gap: A Palliative Care–Modeled Goals of Care Curriculum for In-Person Spanish Interpreters Providing Language Services to Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Too Little Information: Accessibility of Information About Language Services on Hospital Websites.

Hospital websites are an important resource to patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) seeking information about a facility's language assistance services. We sought to identify the types of such services described on hospital websites in a diverse state and compare them by hospital characteristics. Washington State acute care hospital websites were systematically reviewed in February 2018 for translated content and information about language assistance services. Hospital characteristics included annual admissions and revenue, bed size and the proportion of populations with LEP in thehospital's county. Of 93 hospitals, 10.8% provided translated websites. Interpreter services were mentioned on 81.7% of websites; access required navigation through 1-4 English webpages. Larger bed-size, higher revenue, and more admissions were positively associated with providing language services information (p < 0.01), whereas county-level population with LEP was not (p = 0.17). Many hospital websites are not translated or lack easily accessible information about language assistance services and consequently may not be a useful resource to patients with LEP.

"We Are Here to Assist All Individuals Who Need Hospice Services": Hospices' Perspectives on Improving Access and Inclusion for Racial/Ethnic Minorities.

Background: Racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States are less likely to utilize hospice services nearing their end of life, potentially diminishing their quality of care while also increasing medical costs. Objective: Explore the minority hospice utilization gap from the hospice perspective by examining perceived barriers and facilitators as well as practices and policies. Method: Qualitative surveys were conducted with 41 hospices across the United States. Qualitative data analysis included performing a limited content analysis, including the identification of themes and representative quotations. Results: Commonly reported barriers to hospice care for racial/ethnic minorities included culture/beliefs, mistrust of the medical system, and language barriers. A major theme pertaining to successful minority hospice enrollment was an inclusive culture that provided language services, staff cultural training, and a diverse staff. Another major theme was the importance of community outreach activities that extended beyond the medical community and forming relationships with churches, racial/ethnic minority community leaders, and Native American reservations. Conclusion: The importance of incorporating a culture of inclusivity by forming committees, providing language services, and offering culturally competent care emerged in this qualitative study. Building strong external relationships with community groups such as churches is a strategy used to increase racial/ethnic minority utilization of hospice.

National Language Capacity in Global Competition

The term national language capacity refers to the sum total of a nation’s ability to grasp linguistic resources, provide language services, deal with linguistic issues, develop the language, and related tasks. Key capacities include the possession of linguistic resources, utilization of language and language services, development and use of linguistic resources, the language of the members of the nation, reserves of linguistic talent, language management, development of language enterprises and linguistic influence. The development of informatization has made national language capacity an important part of national strength. It is hard power as well as soft power, playing a very important role in social progress and cultural inheritance, in promoting economic development and technological innovation, and in protecting a country’s national security and international development.

Oral English language proficiency and reading mastery: The role of home language and school supports

ABSTRACTThe analysis of 21,409 participants of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten cohort focused on home and school factors sought to understand the level of reading mastery that children experienced throughout elementary school and Grade 8 by relating home language use, timing of oral English language proficiency, and the provision of school-based English language learner services to reading mastery. Results confirm that non-English language use at home is associated with a decreased reading mastery at higher levels of proficiency in Grades 1 and 3, and is reduced to nonsignificance in Grades 5 and 8 with the inclusion of teacher and school factors. Also, the negative association between timing of oral English language proficiency and reading mastery is partially explained by teacher and school factors, particularly children's receipt of English language learner services. The findings provide support for policies that provide language services for language minority children and families during the transition to school and through the elementary school years.

GMJ Adopts New Copyright Policy and Provides Language Services for the Authors

After having a discussion on copyright rights and the rules in Galen medical journal, the Editorial board of GMJ decided that a small medical journal has no need to hold the copyright, though transferring the copyright to the publisher is still a common inquiry in many journals. GMJ wants nothing more than being able to publish articles at first and nothing more. In this regard, the GMJ has changed its copyright policy. We believe this alteration is more author-friendly and could result in further dissemination of knowledge in part, because it lets readers to freely explore within the published papers and data.&#x0D; From January 2013, authors will retain the copyright and will only be asked to grant us the right to be the first to publish their article. The new copyright policy is as follows; these are now included in our Instructions for Authors:&#x0D;  &#x0D; Authors who publish with The GMJ agree to the following terms: &#x0D; a. Authors retain copyright and grant The GMJ the exclusive license and right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which allows the work to be freely used, distributed, and built upon for non-commercial reasons, as long as proper attribution to the work's authorship and initial publication in the GMJ is given.&#x0D; b. Authors are permitted to distribute the GMJ's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the GMJ.&#x0D;  &#x0D; Language services for the authors&#x0D; Since we have had many linguistic problems with the articles which are submitted by many of our authors, we decided to provide language services for instructing and editing of the papers submitted in the GMJ. In this regard, our language editors are prepared to give a hand to the submitters who are not able to provide a good and acceptable language editing for their manuscripts. Obviously this will cost the authors but we tried to have cost-benefit offers since our main goal is to improve the quality of our papers and shorten the peer review duration rather than the economical purposes. Authors can email their paper’s editor and ask for the service and receive the forms for Language services including editing, translating, and scientific preparations.&#x0D;  &#x0D; The Editorial Board has tried to make the policies and instructions for authors simple and clear and is looking forward to a better and more successful future, thanks to our authors, readers, and reviewers.

Do Hospitals Measure up to the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards?

Federal regulations require that health care organizations provide language services to patients with limited English proficiency. The National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care (CLAS standards) provide guidance on how to fulfill these regulations. It is not known how US hospitals have incorporated them into practice. To assess how US hospitals are meeting federal regulations requiring provision of language services using CLAS as a measure of compliance. Cross-sectional survey. Hospital interpreter services managers (or equivalent position). Degree of meeting each of the 4 language-related CLAS standards. Many hospitals are not meeting federal regulations. The majority reported providing language assistance in a timely manner in their first, but not their third, most commonly requested language. Although hospitals reported that they informed patients of their right to receive language services, many did so only in English. A majority of hospitals reported the use of family members or untrained staff as interpreters. Few reported providing vital documents in non-English languages. Overall, 13% of hospitals met all 4 of the language-related CLAS standards, whereas 19% met none. Our study documents that many hospitals are not providing language services in a manner consistent with federal law. Enforcement of these regulations is inconsistent, and thus does not motivate hospitals to comply. Compliance will likely come with new guidelines, currently being written, by many of the regulatory organizations. Our study reinforces the importance of these efforts and helps target interventions to improve the delivery and safety of care to limited English proficient patients.

Dental School Patients with Limited English Proficiency: The California Experience

California is home to one-third of the U.S. population with limited English proficiency (LEP). Studies indicate that treating LEP patients without professional interpreters can result in miscommunication, decreased patient satisfaction, and serious medical errors. To address this problem, federal laws require all health care institutions receiving federal monies to provide interpretation services to their LEP patients at no cost to the patient. In this study we surveyed 122 students and fifty-six faculty members from the five California dental schools with respect to number, communication strategies, impact on education and clinic finances, and student and faculty perceptions regarding serving LEP patients in their clinics. Over 50 percent of students surveyed spoke a foreign language either fluently or moderately fluently. Students reported that about 10 percent of their patients required interpreters, that untrained interpreters (e.g., family, friends, bilingual students) worked adequately, but that LEP patients were more difficult to treat. To comply with federal laws, dental schools are confronted with the challenge of covering the cost of providing language services to LEP patients.

A Survey of North Carolina Safety‐Net Dental Clinics' Methods for Communicating with Patients of Limited English Proficiency (LEP)*

Dental providers are increasingly challenged in communicating with patients with limited English proficiency (LEP). Accordingly, the purpose of the study was to examine methods of communicating with patients with LEP in North Carolina (NC) safety-net dental clinics as perceived by dental staff. An anonymous, 36-item, cross-sectional survey was distributed to representatives of 68 NC safety-net dental clinics. Question domains included: a) a perceived need for language services; b) methods of language services provided; c) perceptions of dental staff about dental care experiences for patients with LEP; and d) perceived legal and financial roles in providing language services. Of the 68 clinics, 55 responded (81 percent). All clinics reported treating patients with LEP, and 93 percent of clinics reported a need for providing language services. Many clinics used multiple methods to provide language services. Some clinics reported differences in treatment recommendations (13 percent), treatment provided (19 percent), and visit length (61 percent) for patients with LEP. All responded that additional costs are incurred to treat patients with LEP, and only 69 percent of responding clinics recognized legal obligations of treating patients with LEP. There is a reported need for language services in NC safety-net dental clinics. These services often resulted in additional costs to the dental clinic. To maintain the quality of care and to comply with legal requirements related to dental patients with LEP, additional funding sources might be required to recruit multilingual staff, support language services in dental clinics, and provide language skills training for practicing dentists. Additionally, studies are suggested to measure the perception of the effectiveness of communication methods of patients with LEP.

Rural Hospitals and Spanish-Speaking Patients with Limited English Proficiency

Between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in the United States increased by 61 percent, becoming the largest minority group. Language differences contribute to patient safety and access to healthcare concerns for limited English proficiency (LEP) Latinos. The objectives of this research were to determine the techniques rural hospitals use to accommodate Spanish-speaking LEP patients, to identify strengths and barriers to providing language services, and to describe local approaches to language assistance services. Surveys were mailed to 841 hospitals in 544 rural counties with moderate to high Latino growth rates between 1990 and 2000. A total of 319 rural hospitals responded. Nearly all rural hospitals reported having tools to help patients communicate language needs. The most commonly used tools include brochures, language identification posters, and language identification cards. Strengths were institutional support for language assistance services, staff willingness to use interpreters, and access to telephone language lines. Principal barriers included lack of funding for interpreters, lack of local language training programs, and lack of state agency support. Hospitals that serve counties with higher Latino population growth rates reported higher demand for services compared with those counties with smaller Latino population growth rates. Several innovative approaches were also identified. Various language accommodation resources, tools, and strategies are available for hospitals to help them serve LEP clientele. Hospitals should routinely review their policies and procedures for language assistance services to ensure compliance with federal and Joint Commission standards.

Improving Quality of US Health Care Hinges on Improving Language Services

Improving Quality of US Health Care Hinges on Improving Language Services

The Legal Framework for Language Access in Healthcare Settings: Title VI and Beyond

Over the past few decades, the number and diversity of limited English speakers in the USA has burgeoned. With this increased diversity has come increased pressure—including new legal requirements—on healthcare systems and clinicians to ensure equal treatment of limited English speakers. Healthcare providers are often unclear about their legal obligations to provide language services. In this article, we describe the federal mandates for language rights in health care, provide a broad overview of existing state laws and describe recent legal developments in addressing language barriers. We conclude with an analysis of key policy initiatives that would substantively improve health care for LEP patients.

Guidelines on Good Practice in Foreign Language Training

The Association of Language Excellence Centre (ALEC) is a professional body, forum and information source dedicated to raising the profile and quality of business and vocational language training ALEC′s Guidelines on Good Practice in the Management and Delivery of Foreign Language Training for Business have been written for the benefit of private organizations and educational institutions who intend to provide language services which assist the business community in responding to the opportunities of the Single European Market and beyond. The Guidelines, discussed here, are a statement of the collective views of some 50 Language Excellence (LX) Centres on what constitutes good practice in language training for business, including the step‐by‐step summary of a systematic approach to its management.

The Role of the Community College in Providing Language, Speech, and Hearing Services

Abstract A survey of community college personnel in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey was conducted to determine (1) the extent and type of services in speech, hearing, or language screening, remediation, and improvement, (2) the extent and type of instruction in speech and language improvement, and (3) the extent and type of bilingual services in speech, hearing or language presently offered to students and community members within the community college setting. In addition, the existence of plans to offer these services in the future was ascertained. Responses indicated the existence of some services but a general unavailability of comprehensive screening, evaluation, and rehabilitation programs despite the widespread needs of the growing community college constituency. The results of the survey can assist community college personnel in needs assessment and planning within their own institutions by offering a context for consideration of the priority for providing language, speech, and hearing servi...