Starting April 1, 2019

About the Tsukuba InternationalAssociationTsukuba International Association(Map)
至下妻The Tsukuba International
Association (TIA) was
founded in March 2007 forthe purpose of promotinginternational exchange
between foreign and local
residents and to support foreign residents
with their daily life. Starting in 2009, TIA
began dispatching volunteer Medical
Interpreters to assist in communicating at
medical institutions. We dispatched
medical interpreters over 150 times in the6 years between 2010 and 2015, andanother 150+ times in the 3 years
between 2016 and 2018. We have thus
catered to the growing need forinterpreters in the medical ﬁeld, a needwhich has been growing yearly.

To Medical Providers
Have you ever had diﬃculties diagnosing apatient due to language barriers? At TIA,
we dispatch volunteer Medical Interpreters
to medical institutions under the Medical
Interpreters Dispatch Contract. If you needan interpreter urgently but don’t have acontract, we can still send a medical
interpreter if you agree to enter into acontract afterwards so please do nothesitate to contact us.

西大通り

北１ParkingP

至筑波山
中央公園

Tsukuba station
つくばエクスプレス
Q't

学園西至常総Police box
中央通りBusCenterP

東大通り

南2ParkingHotel Okura

筑波学園郵便局 学園東
Right-onNova hall
土浦学園線
つくば中央警察署
三井ビル
P
大清水公園
南3Parking つくば
クレオ

イノベーションプラザ
TsukubaInnovation Plaza

デイズタウン
オークラフロンティア
ホテルつくばエポカル

南大通り

至牛久

We send
MedicalInterpreters!
Will people
who can speak English
come to help me
at the hospital?

カピオ

P 南4Parking
竹園公園

ペデストリアン（歩行者専用道路）

南大通西English

P
研究交流センタ－
物質・材料研究機構

ペデストリアン（歩行者専用道路）

南大通東

至桜・土浦インター

Tsukuba International Association

It would be great toreceive information
about treatment,
surgery, etc.
in my own language.

Medical Interpreters: Inquiries
Address：1-10-1 Azuma, Tsukuba, Ibaraki.
Tsukuba Innovation Plaza
TEL：029-869-7675
FAX：029-852-5513
E-mail：info@inter.or.jp
URL：http://www.inter.or.jp/

つくば市国際交流協会
TSUKUBA INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

What is the Volunteer MedicalInterpreting Service?

At the Tsukuba International Association (TIA),
we send out volunteer Medical Interpreters to
medical institutions under contract to help
non-Japanese-speaking patients receive
adequate medical care.

1. Patient Requests anInterpreter

6. EndIn the case of a follow-up
appointment, go to “2.
Hospital Decides”

How to Get a Medical Interpreter
5. Interpreter is Dispatchedto Hospital

Patient requests for an interpreter atthe hospital. Please place a request
at least 5 business days prior to thedate you would like the service.

In the case ofa follow-up
appointment

A Medical Interpreter will be dispatched to thedesignated institution to interpret. Please note that
Medical Interpreters are sent as needed and are
not present at the institution at all times. If you
need to cancel your appointment, please contact
the medical institution as soon as possible so theinterpreter can be notiﬁed.

4. TIA looks for a MedicalInterpreter

TIA will ﬁnd a Medical Interpreter who isavailable for the requested date.
All interpreters have been screened
through a Medical Interpreters Exam andare trained in.

2. Hospital
Decides

The doctor or hospitalstaﬀ decides whether to
use the Medical
Interpreting Service.

3. Hospital Applies forInterpreting Service
The hospital staﬀ contacts TIA
and applies for a Medical
Interpreter. The application
should be made at least 5 days
prior to the day of interpretation.

●Where Service is Available: Medical institutions that have a Medical Interpreters Dispatch Contract with TIA.
(As of now, April 1, 2019, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Tsukuba Medical Center and Ichihara Hospital of the Ichihara Medical Group)●Range of Interpreting: hospital check-in, doctor consultation, tests, diagnosis, surgery, medical prescription, consent form, and doctor’s certiﬁcate,among others.
●Languages Oﬀered: Chinese, Portuguese, Spanish, English●Fee: Varies depending on the institution(As of now, April 1, 2019, the University of Tsukuba Hospital asks the patient to cover a part of the costs (i.e. Not Free))●To Request an Interpreter: Ask the medical staﬀ for an interpreter.
●Please Note: Two interpreters may be sent for training purposes.
If there are no interpreters available for the requested date, TIA may not be able to provide the service.
A TIA staﬀ may accompany the interpreter.
TIA will update its website as more medical institutions make this interpreting service available.