Medical jargon is complex and confusing enough that many patients often leave their doctor’s office wondering, “What did she just say?”
Imagine the added anxiety if the patient doesn’t speak English.
Census figures show that the number of people who speak a language other than English in the United States has reached an all-time high of about 62 million—that means one in five U.S. residents now speaks a foreign language at home.
These changing demographics have placed an additional burden on hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, mental health agencies and related public health organizations. As the number of non-English speakers seeking health care in the United States has grown, so has the need for medical interpreters and translators. State and federal laws as well as new industry standards are also driving up the demand for more health care language support services.
An article from ASIST Translation Services about translation vs. interpreting… and a definition of transliteration.