In article ,
polygonum wrote:
On 14/02/2016 12:00, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
charles wrote:
Why don't the NHS have interpreters on their staff?

I'd have thought you wouldn't need to look far in any major hospital to
find someone who is fluent in any of the common languages?

Who would be responsible for any mis-interpretations? It is ridiculous
to expect staff who happen to have experience of a non-UK language to be
able to translate at a sufficiently high level. There's plenty of native
English speakers who struggle with some of the language of medicine. And
you need a translator to be competent in both languages involved.

Sure, in an emergency, anyone is likely better than no-one.

Well, yes. If you have to book a freelance interpreter, the patient could
be dead by the time he arrives. And a patient won't necessarily know the
correct medical terms for his symptoms anyway.

--
*Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now *

Dave Plowman London SW
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