How to Improve Healthcare Access through Proper Language Translation

In this episode, Tinu speaks with professional translator, Rafa Lombardino. Together, they discuss the importance of having quality translations of medical documents, what quality translation is, and how language accessibility is a part of the accessibility needs of the American healthcare system.

“You can't just copy and paste and look up words in the dictionary because there's culture, there's a whole context... And when you're talking about health documents, something that it's really a matter of life or death, you do have to take a responsibility and have accountability for the message that you're giving to a target audience that doesn't speak the original language.” - Rafa Lombardino

Timestamps

• 03:02 Rafa’s three identities and how they relate to her work as a disability and diversity advocate
• 04:51 The difference between translation and interpretation
• 05:48 The challenges of translating English to other languages
• 09:23 The difficulty of translating medical documents for transgender and nonbinary patients
• 10:46 Why Google translate is not always the best option
• 14:32 How punctuation is a factor in translation
• 14:50 The importance of incorporating culture in translation
• 16:27 Ways the medical field can improve translation
• 19:23 Examples of how improper translation can cause problems
• 21:04 Why it is important to have translation options for patients
• 22:33 Why the method of translation is important (written versus verbal)
• 23:59 Common problems with medical documents and translation
• 26:04 What are the components of high-quality medical translation
• 30:22 Rafa’s pet peeves about medical translation
• 35:23 Why bilingual people are not always good translators
• 38:03 Rafa’s hope for the future of healthcare

Takeaway Learnings

1) Translation and interpretation are different skill sets. Rafa, as a translator, focuses on written and audio/visual materials. Interpreters focus on verbal communication.

2) Translation is more than translating one word into another. It's about finding the best solution to fit the message as well as taking responsibility and accountability for your target audience.

3) The cultural and social aspects of documents are often not considered when translating and this is a huge problem. For example, the standard American formatting practice on forms are not necessarily applicable to people of other countries and cultures.

Actionable Tips

1) If you are a medical provider, take note of who your target audience is when getting documents translated into other languages. Oftentimes even a general language is too broad. What is the country you are targeting, or the gender? The more specific, the better translation.

2) If you are considering translating consent forms for your medical practice, account for the time it takes to prepare quality translation. Remember, this process requires a large amount of care and consideration for the language and the culture being addressed and is not typically a quick process.

3) If you are a patient who would like to see an increase in translation of medical documents, ask your provider if they work with a language or inclusion department. If patients express the desire, hospitals and other medical spaces may be willing to provide additional resources.

About Rafa Lombardino

Rafa Lombardino was born in Brazil and has been living in California since 2002. She became a professional translator in 1997, is certified by the American Translators Association (ATA) in both English-to-Portuguese and Portuguese-to-English translations and has a Professional Certificate in ES>EN translations from UC San Diego Extended Studies, where she started teaching translation classes in 2010, including “Tools and Technology in Translation,” which was also released in book format. She is the President & CEO of Word Awareness, hosts the Translation Confessional podcast, and specializes in Technology, Marketing, Human Resources, Environment, Health & Safety (EHS), Education, Health & Wellness, Audiovisual, and Literature.

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