Public Health
Patients with limited English proficiency can benefit more from real-time interpretation than other language assistance services that can be slower and less accurate, a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reports.
Researchers found that simultaneous interpretation, similar to a voiceover, resulted in 12 times fewer medical errors than other interpretation methods, such as waiting until the patient has finished speaking before interpreting. The authors contended that the speed of simultaneously interpreting helped to produce fewer errors because there is no information to recall.
The study advocated additional research to weigh the benefits and disadvantages of simultaneous interpretation as part of a larger effort to provide access to health care for patients with limited English proficiency (Gany et al., Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2007).