Introduction: Stories From Those Who Interpret For Others in Healthcare

This symposium includes twelve personal narratives from healthcare interpreters who have navigated challenges while interpreting for patients and healthcare providers who do not share a common language. These stories are from trained professionals who speak a variety of spoken and sign languages. They describe what it is like to be a communication tool for a Patient-Physician relationship and the many ways this service takes a toll on their own physical and emotional health. They share the systemic dysfunction they have witnessed first-hand, as well as the gratification they feel when patients and their physicians successfully communicate the nuances of the health situation. Four commentaries on these narratives are also included, authored by experts and scholars in the fields of medicine and bioethics, with particular interests in the moral distress of healthcare providers, medical communication, the intersection of policy and ethics, and the education of future interpreters. The goal of this symposium is to call attention to the experiences of healthcare interpreters and to enrich discussions of the ethical ramifications of communication between people who do not share a common language.