Interpreting illness can come at a cost

Many health groups are struggling with ensuring their words are not lost in translation. Helen Laurent reports
Jimmy Deng knows how difficult it can be for some people to understand health warnings and advice. Mr Deng works as a translator with Mandarin and Cantonese speakers and he has a background in medical science. But his services come at a cost and some health groups say these translation services need to be funded so that essential messages reach the right people. "For most immigrants, in their daily life, if they are going to the bank or doing the shopping, things like that, they are okay," explains Mr Deng. "But in the health system there is a lot of terminology they are not familiar with. "Health is very important for everybody and they are very concerned that they are not getting the message across." Auckland's community health groups used a recent meeting of Waitakere Health Link, an advocacy group for West clients, to highlight the scale of the problem. The groups say the high cost for using translation services is a barrier for them, particularly those involved in mental health. But Diane Walton, spokeswoman for the NZ Society of Translators and Interpreters, says costs are kept low and it's disappointing that some groups are finding it a struggle. "Our interpreters, as a group, are extremely poorly remunerated for their work so I'm surprised that these groups find it expensive." Mr Deng says the languages most commonly required are Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese. For something like a doctor's session the cost would be about $150 for an interpreter in those languages. The Phobic Trust is one group which uses interpreters occasionally. Chief executive Marcia Read supports the idea of an interpreter service for charity-run organisations. "We don't have enough money to employ interpreters. I think there is a need for a service. If you are going to have a lot of new people from different backgrounds come here, you need to be prepared to help them. "It is something that should be discussed publicly with all groups. Most of them don't have enough money for a service, but they all do good work," she says. Ms Read believes correct understanding between parties is vital. "It is 100 per cent important. We have to know people's cultural backgrounds if we are to help them." Waitakere Health Link chairwoman Maureen Wood says the issue comes up often for many health groups. "They said they found it hard to find interpreters and, very often, they need to get out there and talk to people. We are bringing it up with Waitemata District Health Board and are investigating ways we can support [health groups] in this," she says. All three Auckland district health boards have interpreter services for in-house and health providers' needs. Waitemata District Health Board charges health groups for an interpreter.