Since societies are becoming increasingly more plural, it is complicated and even dangerous to get sick in a foreign country, especially in one with a language you cannot communicate in.

Medical Care (the official medical magazine of the American Public Health Association) published a report that showed that less than half of the 764 pharmacies interviewed in four states with significant or growing populations of Latinos  had full capacity to translate medical instructions. 35 percent of the pharmacies were unable to provide translation services and the rest only offered a limited service. The results showed that 44 percent of pharmacies located in counties with a large Hispanic population, which comprises one-fourth of the total population of the United States, were unable to translate medical instructions. And this is the situation with Hispanics; those of languages of even smaller minorities are quite discouraging.

Through studies such as this one, it is readily apparent that the work of translators and interpreters is fundamental in a world that is forever more globalized and where countries have more and more plurality and interculturality. In this specific environment, where a person’s health is at stake, our work is not only necessary, but comforting, since we are able to make our own contribution to society and make it possible that any person can use the medical services at the same level and in the same conditions as anyone else.

See: Trusted Translations