NHS spends £130k a day on translations for non-English speaking patients.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

£44 million David. Per year. On translators. Just so unnecessary. Other European countries manage fine without them.

Bring a friend or relative.
Pay for your own translation.

People would soon get used to it.

Such empathy shown for those who are ill, probably frightened and may be alone!

My worry with translation online sites for medical issues is that they don't pick up on nuances. They're a bit like a glorified dictionary and you can end up with incorrect usage of words and misunderstanding.
Also I don't think they cover every rare language there is.

So you would like ill and frightened people to be treated a little bit worse. I am actually glad our country is better than that.

The hospital trust my dd worked in did not permit use of Google Translate or any other online translation service because they are not secure and patient confidentiality may be compromised. Medics also are not allowed to have patient details on their phones for the same reason.

The Trust did have a translation service but it was out of action due to IT difficulties. Staff had to muddle through with using staff to translate if family/friends were not available. My dd had a very difficult problem when a patient only spoke a rare dialect of a S Asian language which is dying out even in that country. They had to rely on a junior doctor who happened to have spent six months in the area and had picked up a smattering of words.

I'm with you FGT and I dread to think what the cost for translators also is in other public services is such as the police force

escaped

Casdon

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Thank you escaped for supporting what I’m trying to say here but in a much better way. ✔️

But what escaped said isn’t an accurate description of how translation services work in France FriedGreenTomatoes2?

I've explained accurately how it works for English speakers who have little French.
Because I translated for them.
Perhaps you could explain for people speaking non European languages then? And include the way the costs would be charged, unlike the NHS.

Yes escaped. I put into Google ‘France Heath Service translation Indian’ to see what it said, the result of which what I posted. Interpretation services from French to other European languages do not pose the same challenges in the health system as to other languages, which is why I said your description was not accurate, apologies, I should have said it was not comprehensive, because of the French Government guidance and the fact that many areas are now developing services in response, some of which are free.

Allira

MollyNew

This sounds like yet another FGT Daily Mail headline designed to provoke division in society.

I expect when it's broken down, the figure quoted includes BSL interpreters for deaf patients, help for blind and partially sighted people and other similar assistance for people with communication difficulties and learning difficulties but maybe we shouldn't be 'pandering' to people who can't fend for themselves?

Why not find out and provide some statistics so we can see?

Because I didn't start the thread. I am responding to it, as invited to by the one who did.

£44 million David. Per year. On translators. Just so unnecessary. Other European countries manage fine without them.

Bring a friend or relative.
Pay for your own translation.

People would soon get used to it.

Whitewavemark2

I crushed a vertebra whilst on holiday in France quite a few years ago. To my shame my French is limited and did not extend to being able to explain in detail what had happened. A translator would have been a godsend.

Would you have accepted that you would need to pay though?

I'm not a medical translator, but I would say it's weird having to describe someone else's pain and symptoms. That where having a rational brain actually works wonders. You simply translate it as it is said! 😆

Whitewavemark2

I crushed a vertebra whilst on holiday in France quite a few years ago. To my shame my French is limited and did not extend to being able to explain in detail what had happened. A translator would have been a godsend.

However you didn’t get one (sorry for your injury though) and France didn’t shell out. As I said, just us!

It’s only £44m peanuts - not

Casdon

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Thank you escaped for supporting what I’m trying to say here but in a much better way. ✔️

But what escaped said isn’t an accurate description of how translation services work in France FriedGreenTomatoes2?

I've explained accurately how it works for English speakers who have little French.
Because I translated for them.
Perhaps you could explain for people speaking non European languages then? And include the way the costs would be charged, unlike the NHS.

I crushed a vertebra whilst on holiday in France quite a few years ago. To my shame my French is limited and did not extend to being able to explain in detail what had happened. A translator would have been a godsend.

Does that include Welsh, I know in Wales things always seem to be in both languages. Not aware if the same applies to Gaelic

vintage1950

Medical translation and interpreting is a specialist skill, which needs trained professionals if it is to be done properly. £130k is good value for this service.

You do realise that figure of £130,000 is per DAY.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Take a friend PaynesGrey then? I am not being argumentative I just don’t see the problem with doing so. It works in Europe as explained a up thread.

Why do WE have to supply bells & whistles? Just why. I don’t get it.

Neither do I FGT2. We pander to everybody yet, as others say, not many other countries do.

If people choose to live here then they should be able to read, write and understand English.

paynesgrey

Thank you for a rational and sensible post

escaped

Here in France there are maybe 4 hospitals in Paris which provide English speaking staff. This is not the case for the rest of the country.
You either:
Bring someone with you who can assist you with communication
Muddle by with the basic English that French doctors and nurses learn as part of their course
Use an online translating service like Luckygirl suggests
Or accept you are in a foreign country and put up with the situation.

I used to accompany people to hospital in France, or do the emergency dash with them. The going rate for a translator in this case is around 60 euros an hour. I did it for free.

£130,000 a day sounds like an extortionate sum if correct.

DH's relatives live in France. The wife is fluent in French, the husband not so, and of course she goes with him for his medical appointments. Otherwise I am sure that Google translate would be of great benefit.

Medical translation and interpreting is a specialist skill, which needs trained professionals if it is to be done properly. £130k is good value for this service.

MollyNew

This sounds like yet another FGT Daily Mail headline designed to provoke division in society.

I expect when it's broken down, the figure quoted includes BSL interpreters for deaf patients, help for blind and partially sighted people and other similar assistance for people with communication difficulties and learning difficulties but maybe we shouldn't be 'pandering' to people who can't fend for themselves?

Why not find out and provide some statistics so we can see?

Goodness knows how much it costs in Wales. Everything is translated into Welsh (apparently it's the first language as far as the NHS is concerned) and you have to search for the English translation in letters, texts etc.

Then, of course, everything has to be translated into different languages for anyone who cannot speak Welsh or English. Around another 98 languages are spoken in Wales.

PaynesGrey I'm not sure how many official translators we would actually have in this country for all the different languages spoken and how many the NHS would need to have on its books.

Therefore, if a person is unable to speak enough English (or Welsh) to understand the medical staff, why is it not possible to ask them to bring a family member or friend with them for the appointment? After all, if they cannot speak English, how can they read the appointment letters?

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Thank you escaped for supporting what I’m trying to say here but in a much better way. ✔️

But what escaped said isn’t an accurate description of how translation services work in France FriedGreenTomatoes2?

Thank you escaped for supporting what I’m trying to say here but in a much better way. ✔️

Take a friend PaynesGrey then? I am not being argumentative I just don’t see the problem with doing so. It works in Europe as explained a up thread.

Why do WE have to supply bells & whistles? Just why. I don’t get it.

I'm sorry to hear your DH has had to have thorough medical treatment Mamie. I agree, and stated, that the staff speak reasonably good English because it is a mandatory part of their training. OK, maybe basic was a bit cheeky
But if you are say Chinese, Syrian or Russian in France, there's nothing you can do but attend and hope for the best.