Interpreter Services

Why do we have Interpreters?

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center is committed to providing linguistically and culturally appropriate services to our patients and families. We have an experienced team of trained medical Interpreters on staff. In the medical setting, it is essential that patients actively participate in a dialogue with their health care providers. The need to understand information, diagnoses, and directions accurately is crucial before making medical decisions that affect one's own treatment or that of a loved one. While many of our Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients and their families use English in other settings, it may not be the language they prefer to utilize for medical care. In addition, feelings of anxiousness or fear about a diagnosis or illness can affect communication. This often happens in emergency situations when a person may be too nervous to communicate clearly in anything other than his/her primary language. Interpreter services bridges linguistic and cultural gaps that may exist between a patient and the medical provider while maintaining strict patient confidentiality.

Interpreters are available 24 hours per day

Por favor clique na gravura do alto falante para ouvir uma mensagem de serviço público do Departamento de Saúde Pública de Massachusetts.
Por favor haga clic sobre el símbolo de la bocina para escuchar un mensaje de audio del servicio público de Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
請點擊揚聲器按鈕以收聽由麻州公眾健康局提供的語音資
Xin hãy bấm vào nút hình cái loa đe nghe thông tin từ Bộ Y Tế CôNG CộNG của Tiểu Bang MA.
لطفاً – أُنقر على أيقونة السّماعة لسماع رسالة الخدمات الحكومية من إدارة ماساشيوستس للصّحة العامة
Tanpri peze klikè ya pou-w kapab tande mesaj Depatman Sante Piblik Massachusetts lan.
Нажмите, пожалуйста, кнопку "Динамик" и прослушайте сообщение Управления здравоохранения штата Массачусеттс.
Flisni shqip? Ne do t’ju sigurojm një përkthyes pa asnjë kosto personale për ju.
Você fala português? Nós lhe forneceremos um interprete, sem nenhum custo adicional.
ត�ើអ្នកនិយាយភាសាខ្មែរខែរតេ? តយើង្ុំញន្ ឹងផ្ដល់ជូនអ្នកបកខ្បភាសាតោយឥ�គិ�ថ្លៃផ្ទា ល់្លួលៃ នែល់អ្នក។
您講粵語嗎?我們將免費為您提供翻譯
Bo ta papia Kriolu di Kabuverdi? No ta ranja-bu un tradutor di grasa.
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Wir stellen Ihnen unentgeltlich einen Dolmetscher zur Verfügung.
Μιλάτε ελληνικά; Θα σας παρέχουμε ένα διερμηνέα χωρίς καμία οικονομική επιβάρυνση για εσάς.
Èske ou pale Kreyòl Ayisyen? N ap ba ou yon entèprèt gratis.
Parla italiano? Le forniremo gratuitamente un interprete.
您讲国语吗?我们将免费为您提供翻译
Kannscht du Deitsch schwetze? Wann du duscht, kenne mer dich en Interpreter griege as dich nix koschte zellt.
Czy mówisz po polsku? Zapewnimy bezpłatną pomoc tłumacza.

How to reach an interpreter at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center:

St. Elizabeth's Medical Center's team of health care providers and support staff work closely with interpreter services to ensure that our medical interpreters are prepared to support your care. In the event that you need to reschedule your appointment or have questions related to ongoing care, contact interpreter services or your provider's direct number to discuss your situation. Contact information for our department is listed below.

  • Russian: 617-562-7760
  • Spanish: 617-562-7033
  • Portuguese: 617-562-7404; 617-562-7029
  • Mandarin/Cantonese Chinese: 617-779-6554
  • English/Other: 617-789-2331
  • Email: [email protected]

Please Note

In emergency or short-notice situations when an in-person interpreter is not immediately available for a specific language, we may utilize telephonic and/or video remote interpretation. St. Elizabeth's Medical Center has invested in the latest communications technology in order to ensure that our LEP patients always receive an equivalent standard of care compared to non-LEP patients. Our services include customized wireless conference phones and dual-handset phones stationed at key hospital departments with access to both staff and outside Interpreters in 200 languages and dialects. We offer video remote interpreting supported with a computer and webcam when assisting deaf patients through American Sign Language (ASL) to supplement in-person ASL Interpreters requested from the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH). We also support video remote interpretation for a number of our most frequently requested languages.