Medical Interpreting Services

Medical interpreting

Medical interpreters for consultations, hospital care and surgery

In a consultation, one misunderstood word can mean a wrong dose, a missed symptom or consent that was never really given. Like you, we do not like to take chances, so we only use highly qualified, certified medical interpreters with the knowledge of medical terminology the work demands.

Medical interpreting demands not only accuracy but also up-to-date knowledge of the field. Some of the world's biggest medical and pharmaceutical companies trust us to deliver quality work on time, and our qualified, dedicated medical interpreters have many years of experience of interpreting in consultations with doctors and specialists and in hospitals.

Where our medical interpreters work

When you book a medical interpreter with us, one of our trained and certified medical interpreters will be with you throughout the consultation, before and after surgery, or whenever you need them, in London or anywhere else in the world. Our interpreters work at:

• GP appointments
• Hospital outpatient consultations
• Pre-operative assessments and surgery
• Antenatal and maternity appointments
• Mental health assessments
• Physiotherapy and rehabilitation
• Private clinics and treatments
• Medico-legal examinations

How medical interpreting works

Medical interpreting is usually consecutive: the clinician speaks, the interpreter interprets, the patient answers. We also provide simultaneous interpreting, for example for medical conferences and training. The interpreter speaks in the first person ("I have had this pain for three days"), so the clinician and patient talk to each other, not about each other through a third person.

An interpreter can also sight-translate, reading a consent form, a leaflet or a discharge letter aloud in the patient's language. For anything the patient will take home and need to follow, a written translation is safer; see our translation services.

The interpreter does not add medical explanations of their own. If the patient has not understood, the interpreter says so, and the clinician explains again in other words.

For clinicians: getting the best from an interpreter

Brief them first. One minute before you go in, say what the appointment is about and anything difficult that is coming, such as bad news or an intimate examination.

Talk to the patient. Look at the patient and speak to them directly, two or three sentences at a time, and let the interpreter keep up.

Allow the time. A consultation through an interpreter takes longer, often close to twice as long, so book a longer slot where you can.

Check understanding. Ask the patient to tell you in their own words what they will do next. Teach-back catches misunderstandings that a nod hides.

Arrange the room. Seat the interpreter beside the patient or slightly behind them, so eye contact stays between clinician and patient.

Qualified, certified and confidential

We guarantee that all our medical interpreters have the skills and the knowledge of medical terminology needed to provide the highest-quality service. They hold qualifications such as the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI), and they understand the importance of confidentiality: what is said in the consulting room stays there.

Private patients and medico-legal work

If you are paying for private treatment in the UK, or travelling here for it, you can book an interpreter with us directly; see private interpreting. We also provide interpreters for medical examinations for injury and insurance claims, where the expert's report depends on what the patient was able to say.

For NHS trusts, GP practices and care providers, our healthcare sector page covers NHS guidance, the Accessible Information Standard and medical translation.

Languages

We provide medical interpreters in more than 350 languages, including Polish, Romanian, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya, Farsi and British Sign Language.

Questions about medical interpreting

Can I ask for a female interpreter?

Yes, ask when you book. For gynaecological, maternity and some other appointments, many patients prefer a female interpreter, and we will do our best to match the request.

Is a telephone or video interpreter good enough?

For a short follow-up or a prescription query, often yes; see telephone interpreting and video interpreting. For examinations, difficult news and long appointments, book an interpreter in the room.

Are you available at night and at weekends?

Yes. We take medical interpreting bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.