Specific beliefs, practices and traditions are often referred to by indirect language or special terms. Local beliefs and moral tenets may lead to what the physician may consider overemphasis or underreporting of certain symptoms, issues and events. Meet your interpreters on a regular basis. They will provide both a window and a mirror when you deal with other languages and cultures. Personal information is often closely guarded and difficult to obtain.
Patients often request a specific interpreter or even bring one to the clinic.
Evaluate the interpreter's style and approach to patients. For special situations and problem cases, try to match the interpreter to the task. Careful interpretation often requires that the interpreter use long explanatory phrases. The Special Case of Interpreters in Health Care . 3344-3348, Dec. 20, 1985.