Morality is not, sadly, the first thought of hospital administrators in these days of HMOs, insurance claims and forms, law suits and community pressures. However, $71 million could make some think differently about the need for adequate translation services and multi-lingual staff or just measures to provide translations without expensive staffing patterns.
After eight years here in Mexico with my cardiologist, who is wonderful (especially in light of this third world location), I understand the need for clearly understanding each other. Eight years ago I could hardly speak Spanish and he can read and write English but his conversational knowledge is dreadful. We survived the first years and are now friends and I trust him with medications and advice (surgery and equipment-related needs wait for trips to Miami). We still use Spanish first and back questionable words with gestures, English (where he has it or understands it) and joint forays into medical texts until we are sure that important points are fully understood. I have my doubts that busy, American practitioners take that kind of time and emergency personnel don't have that kind of time. When the paramedic says, "Where does it hurt? Can you move this?" or" What medications are you taking?" they need answers quickly that don't need interpretation.
"Madonna" by Lewis Hine. Ellis Island.
I am reminded also of the book, Interpreter of Maladies, where a tour guide in India describes his work translating for sick people who speak a different language in India to the doctor who treats them. A fine story and an interesting concept of how one translates words that are so difficult — those that try to describe exactly the amorphous symptoms of illnesses sometimes from one culture to another.
The next question and suggestion is to the IT, medical and linguistic worlds in general. "What can be developed to help with this problem that doesn't require massive multi-lingual staff? Computer programs at this time are not up to the chore. A young Mexican man recently asked me to buy a chip from the Mexican eBay equivalent using my credit card. He sent me an email using a translation program. I already knew what he wanted since his father had told me in Spanish. This was the computer translation:
hello gift francisco I am leonel wanted to know if it is possible that you make a purchase in the free market, it is a Tarjeta SIM doble Universal, the one that I comment him my dad in the afternoon. he has an approximate price of $190 pesos. thank you this it is the it paginates web.
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