Why Do Patients Need More Than Just Bilingual Staff?
Healthcare organizations serve diverse patient populations with varying language needs. While having bilingual staff members can help bridge language gaps, there's a difference between everyday bilingualism and medical interpretation. This blog explores practical considerations for healthcare organizations when certifying bilingual staff as medical interpreters.
What are the first steps?
Begin with achievable steps: Survey current bilingual staff about interest in certification, research certification options that align with your facility's schedule, start with high-demand departments or languages, and learn from other facilities with established programs. Professional medical interpreters must meet national certification standards established by organizations like the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). These certifications require completing at least 40 hours of medical interpreter training, demonstrating language proficiency in both English and the target language, and passing both written and oral proficiency exams that assess interpreting skills, ethics, and medical terminology (National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, 2025). The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) establishes standards and ethics guidelines that professional medical interpreters must follow (Niven, n.d.) (Niven, n.d.-a).
How Good Do Their Language Skills Really Need to Be?
Before pursuing certification, start with basic language assessments: Use brief medical terminology quizzes focusing on common terms in your facility and ask staff to self-assess their comfort level with medical terminology. Healthcare organizations can utilize validated tools like the Qualified Bilingual Staff (QBS) Assessment developed by Kaiser Permanente to test bilingual medical staff's level of target language proficiency specifically in medical settings (ALTA Language Services, 2024).
Who Does What When an Interpreter is Needed?
Keep role definitions straightforward. Create a basic scheduling system for interpretation requests, identify certified interpreters, establish a simple process for requesting interpretation services, and maintain a shared calendar for interpreter availability.
What Are Some Practical Ways to Support Interpreters?
Support interpreters in practical ways. Provide access to medical dictionaries and terminology apps, create a digital group chat for interpreters to ask questions, and schedule brief check-ins with supervisors or mentors.
Should You Pay Them More for Interpreting?
Keep compensation clear and manageable, but recognize interpretation skills as a valuable strength.
What Specific Benefits Will Patients Notice?
When implemented thoughtfully, even small-scale interpretation programs can help: Patients receive clearer explanations about their care, staff gain confidence in cross-language communication, basic health instructions are better understood, and appointment follow-through improves. Systematic reviews of medical literature consistently show that professional interpreters improve quality of care for patients with limited English proficiency. Research demonstrates that trained professional interpreters positively affect patient satisfaction, quality of care, and health outcomes, resulting in better comprehension of health issues and improved compliance with medical recommendations (Kwan et al., 2023).
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What are the main costs and benefits?
Implementing an in-house medical interpreter program requires initial investments in training, certification exams, and potential salary differentials. In comparison, relying solely on contracted phone/video interpretation services typically costs per minute. Ad-hoc use of untrained bilingual staff appears cost-free but carries hidden expenses through increased appointment lengths, higher readmission rates, and significant malpractice liability risk (Kwan et al., 2023) (Youdelman, 2024). Most healthcare facilities find that certifying existing bilingual staff for high-demand languages while maintaining contracted services for less common languages creates the optimal balance between cost control and quality care.
Is It Worth It to Certify Bilingual Staff?
Medical interpretation doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. By taking practical steps to certify interested bilingual staff and implementing straightforward support systems, healthcare organizations can improve communication with patients while keeping the process manageable for everyone involved. Small improvements in language access can make a significant difference in patient care. Whether your organization starts with certifying one interpreter or building a comprehensive program, the key is starting.
About the Author
Eyal Heldenberg brings 15 years of experience in speech recognition, AI, and B2B solutions to healthcare communication challenges. As an engineering and product leader focused on language accessibility in healthcare, he works to bridge communication gaps and improve outcomes for all patients, regardless of language background. Eyal was recently involved in research on how technology can improve medical translation accuracy and has facilitated discussions with doctors and healthcare providers across the United States to better understand real-world interpretation challenges. His work aligns with current healthcare regulations and is informed by the latest research on patient-provider language barriers.
Resources
National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. (2025). Certified Medical Interpreter NBCMI Candidate Handbook. In National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. Link
Niven, A. (n.d.). NCIHC National Standards of Practice. Link
Niven, A. (n.d.-a). NCIHC National Code of Ethics. Link
ALTA Language Services. (2024, May 23). Qualified Bilingual Staff Practice Test | ALTA Language Services. Link
Kwan, M., Jeemi, Z., Norman, R., & Dantas, J. a. R. (2023). Professional Interpreter Services and the Impact on hospital care Outcomes: An Integrative Review of literature. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5165. Link
Youdelman, M. (2024, August 23). HIPAA and language Services in health care - National Health Law Program. National Health Law Program. Link
