Language Needs Assessment Glossary
LNA Glossary
Bilingual Employee: Medical staff that have successfully completed language professional proficiency assessment and the appropriate training to provide medical interpretation in a given language. Bilingual employees should only interpret for the languages in which they are found to be proficient.
Dual Language Employee: an employee who self-identifies as proficient speaker of two languages and may provide minimal assistance to non-English speaking clients, such as providing directions, etc. This type of employee is not qualified to serve as an interpreter and should not be asked to provide medical interpretation.
Qualified Medical Interpreter: A person who has been tested, by a recognized professional entity, as proficient in multiple languages, with an assessment of his/her verbal, listening comprehension, reading and writing fluency in both languages and successfully completed training in medical interpretation which includes best practices, medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, concepts and modes of health care interpreting, and health care interpreting ethics.[i]
Hourly Interpreters: Individuals contracted to provide interpretation services on an as-needed basis. [ii]
Limited English Proficiency (LEP): Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English are considered LEP.
Interpretation: the process of understanding and analyzing a spoken or signed message and re-expressing that message faithfully, accurately and objectively in another language, taking the cultural and social context into account. [iii]
Translation: the conversion of a written text into a corresponding written text in a different language.[iv]
NOTE: The skill of translating is very different from the skill of interpreting; critique by another person fluent in English and the target language is important as well as sensitivity to the intended audience. (e.g. In Spanish some words have another meaning in different countries)
Vital Documents: Information critical or essential for ensuring a client’s well-being or continuity of care. For the purposes of ensuring language access, examples include: signage, directions, notices about the availability of interpreter services and legal documents (consent forms, client rights and responsibilities, privacy notices, complaint forms, grievance policies) and client intake forms.[v]
Tele-interpretation: Interpreting services carried out remotely, with the interpreter connected by telephone to the principal parties, typically provided through a speaker-phone or headsets.[vi]
ESL – English as a Second Language – is a course offered by the Department of Education to LEP children. Some school districts refer to this program as English Language Learning or English for Speakers of Other Languages[vii]
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires recipients of federal funds (covered entities) to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to individuals with LEP. The Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination due to race, race, color, or national origin. Denying language access is deemed discrimination due to national origin.[viii]
[i] National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, Information about providing language access services. Retrieved March 29, 2016 from http://www.ncihc.org/faqs-for-healthcare-professionals
[ii] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved March 29, 2016 from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes273091.htm
[iii] National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. (2008). The terminology of health care interpreting: A glossary of terms. Retrieved March 2016 from http://www.ncihc.org/assets/documents/NCIHC%20Terms%20Final080408.pdf
[iv] National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. (2008). The terminology of health care interpreting: A glossary of terms. Retrieved March 2016 from http://www.ncihc.org/assets/documents/NCIHC%20Terms%20Final080408.pdf
[v] Hernández Iverson, E. (2013). Op.cit. pp. 171-173. Portions adapted from: Wilson-Stronks, A. et al. (2008). One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Health Care Needs of Diverse Populations. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: The Joint Commission.
[vi] National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. (2008). The terminology of health care interpreting: A glossary of terms. Retrieved March 2016 from http://www.ncihc.org/assets/documents/NCIHC%20Terms%20Final080408.pdf
[vii] http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/index.shtml
[viii] Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d.28 C.F.R. Part 42, Subpart C