Interpreter Services

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center is committed to providing linguistically and culturally appropriate services to our patients and families through our experienced team of trained medical interpreters.

In the medical setting, it is essential that patients actively participate in a dialogue with their healthcare providers. The need to understand information, diagnoses, and directions accurately is crucial before making medical decisions that affect one's own treatment or that of a loved one.

While many of our patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and their families use English in other settings, it may not be the language they prefer to use for medical care. In addition, feelings of anxiousness or fear about a diagnosis or illness can affect communication. This often happens in emergency situations when a person may be too nervous to communicate clearly in anything other than his/her primary language. Interpreter services bridges gaps in language and culture that may exist between a patient and the medical provider while maintaining strict patient confidentiality.