1. Is this initiative connected to a specific company or organization? 

 

No, this initiative is completely grassroots! Interpret To Save A Life was created on April 3, 2020 in response to reports that patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) are being left without proper care.

 

We realize that time and resources are more limited than ever. We also know that, with COVID19, a patient's family can no longer accompany them into the emergency room or clinic to help with interpretation. This leaves LEP patients with no way of communicating their symptoms or needs. 

While we strongly encourage all hospitals and clinics to reach out to professional medical interpreters, we understand that this pandemic is unlike anything we have seen before. That's why we created this national network. 

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2. What kind of organizations will this initiative be helping? 

 

Big hospitals should have contracts with major interpreting companies, and most are required by law to provide patients with certified medical interpreters. So, we are focusing our efforts on low-income/free clinics, volunteer-run health centers, etc. who might not be able to provide patients with certified medical interpreters at this time and are the first-stop for many immigrants. 

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We are also reaching out to immigrant organizations in case they'd like to assign volunteer interpreters to virtually accompany someone in their community to a clinic/hospital. 

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3. What languages do you need? 

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All languages are welcome! Keep in mind that indigeneous languages and less common dialects are always scarce and greatly needed!

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4. Who can become a volunteer interpreter?

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We are asking that only people with some kind of medical/health/social work or interpreting experience sign up. But, if you speak a dialect that is not often found, there is more leniency!

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For Spanish, please only sign up if you are a professional interpreter or interpreter in training! If you signed up on or before April 15 and have no experience -- you're fine! It's only moving forward that we are asking for experience. 

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5. OK, but how are you sharing my contact information with clinics/organizations? 

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Your contact information is being put into a database that will then ONLY be shared with the clinics/organizations we work with. We are sharing the database with one point person per organization to try to limit the number of people who have your information. 

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6. Right... and how will clinics know my level of experience? 

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We are working to color-code the database by level of experience so clinics/organizations know if you have medical interpreting experience, medical experience, interpreting experience in other inudstries or no experience at all. The color-coding is based on the experience you noted in the Google Form when you first signed up. 

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7. So, how do volunteers get assigned to patients? 

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Once clinics/organizations have access to the database, they can simply search the language they need and choose one of the volunteers that is available for the day, time, and time zone needed. They will be the ones who "assign" a volunteer to a patient. 

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8. Awesome! But how will I know when I will be contacted to interpret? 

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Volunteers can provide their availability in a Google form and will only be contacted during those times. Hospitals, clinics and organizations are being asked to text volunteers who provide their phone numbers before video calling, Zooming or Skyping. We also suggest they schedule an appointment in advance, when possible.

 

With that said, with a pandemic, things may happen at any moment and you should assume you're "on-call" during your available days/times. If you're concerned you won't be available to help some days, be more conservative with the days/times you put down as available.

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9. What if I decide I can no longer volunteer to interpret? 

 

Volunteers can email covid19interpret@gmail.com at any time to be removed from the list.

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10. I'm an organization interested in using the database, how can I contact you? 

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Please email us at covid19interpret@gmail.com with the subject line "[Organization Name] Needs Interpreter Database." 

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11. I don't speak another language, can I still help? 

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Yes! We are still in need of local leads who can do outreach to clinics/organizations in their cities/states. Email us if you're interested in being a lead: covid19interpret@gmail.com.

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12. How long will this database exist?

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This initiative is intended to be a stopgap measure. It is not a long-term solution to the many long-standing issues with language barriers in health care. Volunteers cannot replace the work of professionals. We respect and value the work of certified medical interpreters and believe every patient should have access to a professional medical interpreter when receiving care.