An empirical study on family and healthcare professionals as interpreters for limited English proficient patients (LEPPs): role of interpreters and societal challenges of medical translation in the context of Singapore

Abstract

Background: A significant proportion of elderly in Singapore are individuals with limited English proficiency. This poses a problem in medical consultation as most medical personnel in Singapore are trained in English. To solve this problem, ad hoc interpreters are tasked to bridge the language gap. These ad hoc interpreters are not formally trained and hence are prone to error. Methods: Six videos of medical consultations involving ad hoc interpreters in a form of patients’ family members, nurses or patient service associates were obtained from the Department of Urology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The videos were transcribed and excerpts were produced based on these transcriptions for further analysis of error. Results: Thirty two instances of interpretation by addition were identified and categorised into four types of pre-emption. Conclusions: Use of ad hoc interpreters in day-to-day consultations could result in decreased quality of care. Training programs can be introduced to address this issue.