Imagine a Russian man going to a doctor and trying to explain that he has angina. The doctor might see that as a heart condition, but in Russian, it means he has a sore throat.

With ever-increasing numbers of refugees and immigrants in the area, navigating language and cultural differences in ethically complicated settings, such as a hospital room or as a defendant in a courtroom, can be a challenge. That makes accurate interpreters a must, said Cornelia Brown, executive director of MAMI, or the Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters, an interpretation and translation service in Utica. The group offers on-site, face-to-face interpreting services in more than 50 languages and dialects. “An interpreter can enable conversation between doctor and patient, something that can’t usually be done,” she said. “Our increasing number of refugees and immigrants deserve equal access to services here in the United States.”

Increased training for the interpreters and the local organizations that work with them is in the works to help get around potential ethical landmines and preserve accuracy, objectivity and sensitivity to the client’s cultural background.

See: UTICAOD

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