Language barriers in pediatric care

Abstract

Language differences between pediatrician and parents can create a barrier in the doctor-patient relationship. Use of a translator to overcome that barrier introduces other potential problems such as a diminished sense of privacy, inadequate data collection, and misinterpretation of medical or family history due to translator distortions. Physicians should carefully choose the translator, avoiding persons who are linguistically incompetent, culturally insensitive, and medically unsophisticated. Physicians also should avoid assuming that parents who "speak English" are fluent. A determination of their language preference and their degree of English proficiency may lead the pediatrician to use a translator even with partially fluent families.