Working with interpreters, continued

Telephonic or other technology-based interpreting. The use of telephones and other media has emerged as a method of providing interpretation services. Interpretation can be provided when the patient and provider are together in one room, or telephone calls between patient and provider can be patched into the telephonic interpreter.

Advice nurses and call centers can also patch into these services. When a provider initiates a request for an interpreter with the telephonic dispatcher, a medical interpreter speaking the requested language is usually available within 1 minute.

Telephonic services do not take the place of face-to-face interpreting, but they are critical linguistic aids when health care organizations do not have access to interpreters who speak a rare or uncommonly needed language. They are also useful to specialty practices that have a low volume of referrals.

Other technology-based interpreting includes video interpreting and voice over Internet protocol. For information, see https://www.fedvrs.us/help/about.asp and http://www.fcc.gov/voip/. The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf developed standards on interpreting for a range of contexts, including medical settings (http://www.rid.org/118.pdf) and mental health settings (http://www.rid.org/126.pdf).

Federal laws and guidelines related to language access

The following is a selected list of the federal laws and guidelines related to language access, including their related Web sites:

• Title VI, section 601, of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, see http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/majorlaw/civilr19.htm;
• Executive Order 13166 http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/13166.htm;
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), see http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm;
• Section 255 and 251(a)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended by Telecommunications Act of 1996, see http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/section255.html;
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html;
• DHHS Guidance http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/lep/guide.html;* and
• The Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Standards (CLAS) (http://www.omhrc.gov/clas/finalcultural1a.htm).*

  *The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued these guidelines for organizations that are in any part funded by federal monies. For a summary of the major requirements under these guidelines and a summary of the CLAS standards applying to language access, see the Appendix.

  A number of states have followed suit with legislation or contract language requiring that linguistic services be provided to patients with limited English proficiency in state- supported health and mental health care programs. These federal and state regulations have been compiled by the National Health Law Program and are updated regularly at http://www.healthlaw.org/langaccess/index.shtml. Additional information is available from NCCC’s Policy Brief 2, Linguistic Competence in Primary Health Care Delivery Systems: Implications for Policy Makers (Goode, Sockalingam, Brown, & Jones, 2000, revised 2003), at http://gucchd.georgetown/nccc/documents /Policy Brief 2 2003.pdf.