The Role of the Health Care Interpreter in a Clinical Setting—A Narrative Review

Abstract

Objective: To examine published models of health care interpretation and associated roles, expectations, and outcomes. Methods: A literature search was conducted using the key words interpreter/translator, communication, and role and their combinations in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEXPlus. References mentioned in articles identified with these search terms were then checked by hand in corresponding publications and books. We excluded articles if they were dealing with concepts of interpretation, role definitions, etc., without presenting any empirical evidence to support their recommendations. Thirty-four of 1,121 references that investigated the role of professional interpreters in health care were found to meet inclusion criteria. Results: Out of 34 articles, only 2 recommend strict adherence to the conduit model in which interpreters are faithfully and exclusively transmitting information; the interpreter’s role is in 32 studies defined in broader terms as the role of a cultural broker (n = 18), a manager or clarifier (n = 22), a patient advocate (n = 13), or a mediator (n = 6). Conclusion: There are no commonly accepted understandings of the interpreters’ role; empirical data are lacking. Practice Implications: The interpreter’s function must be explicitly clarified before a health care encounter is conducted. There should be an agreement of some basic rules.