• CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease): A long-term condition where the kidneys don’t filter blood as well as they should.
• ESRD (End-Stage Renal Disease): The final stage of CKD, where the kidneys can no longer function on their own to support life.
• GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate): A test used to check how well the kidneys are working by estimating how much blood passes through the tiny filters (glomeruli) each minute.
• Nephron: The functional unit of the kidney that actually does the work of filtering blood and producing urine.

Patients often describe symptoms using non-medical, experiential language. When interpreters render these descriptions into clinically relevant terminology, they must do so carefully and accurately, ensuring that the patient’s meaning is preserved without adding, omitting, or altering clinical content.

Interpreters play a key role in medical settings by faithfully conveying what patients say, without adding labels or making assumptions about causes. This allows physicians to assess the clinical significance themselves.

For example:

• Edema: A patient may say, “My legs are puffy like dough.” An interpreter can accurately report this as the patient experiencing leg swelling, without assigning a cause.
• Hematuria: A patient might report “tea-colored urine.” An interpreter can convey this as the patient noticing discolored urine, without suggesting a diagnosis.
• Reduced or absent urine output: If a patient says, “I haven’t gone to the bathroom in a day,” an interpreter can report this as the patient experiencing little or no urine output, leaving the clinical interpretation to the physician.

Nephrology also contains terms that sound similar but have very different meanings. Dropping a prefix or misinterpreting an abbreviation can change the understanding of whether a condition is sudden or gradual, reversible or permanent.

ARF vs. CRF: ARF (Acute Renal Failure) is a sudden loss of kidney function that may be reversible, while CRF (Chronic Renal Failure) is a gradual, often permanent decline. Interpreters can relay these terms as presented by the physician, without implying urgency or prognosis.

• Proteinuria: If a patient is told they have protein in their urine, an interpreter can convey this exactly as stated, without implying cause, so the physician can discuss the significance.
• Dialysis: When a physician explains dialysis — hemodialysis (blood filtered through a machine) or peritoneal dialysis (using the lining of the abdomen) an interpreter can accurately relay the procedure and method as described.

Providing only a partial summary or “the gist” of a kidney exam can risk miscommunication. By accurately conveying distinctions such as intrarenal (inside the kidney) versus prerenal (related to blood flow to the kidney), interpreters ensure patients receive the full information needed to understand their condition, while leaving clinical judgment to the physician.

Medical terminology comes on top. Medical interpretation requires a strong understanding of medical terminology in both the source and target languages. It is important to know the meaning of medical terms and jargon in order to accurately convey information. If an interpreter doesn’t understand a word, he or she should ask for a simpler explanation, so that the conversation between the doctor and the patient is flawless.

In addition, it’s best to always use clear and concise language when interpreting medical information. Using straightforward, easy to understand language will help ensure that the patient understands the information being provided. Do your best to avoid medical jargon or technical terms that the patient may not be familiar with. But if you do end up having to use it, be sure you understand what it means so you can explain it if necessary.

That being said, be sure to be in the know-how of how the medical field works. Whether it’s of internal medicine, neurology, radiology, pediatrics, cardiology, outpatient surgery, gastroenterology, urology, intensive care, orthopedics, physical therapy, community health, emergency, gynecology and more, an interpreter should be prepared and understand each specialty. This can help you as an interpreter to better understand the medical information being provided and to accurately convey it to the patient.

There are a lot of cultures out there that deal with medical visits differently. You may have  mastered the source and target languages in the medical field, but you also need to be culturally sensitive and can bridge the gap between the two cultures you are interpreting in. Something important beyond what is being said, the interpreter should serve as an advocate to bring that underlining meaning out to all parties involved. This can help the doctor and the patient understand each other better. Medical interpretation is unique in this sense. To communicate fully in order to provide and receive the best treatment.

As an interpreter, you should always keep whatever occurs in the appointment confidential. Medical interpreters should always respect the confidentiality of the patient and not share any personal or medical information without the patient’s consent or unless required by law. A medical interpreter should always remain impartial and avoid giving personal opinions or advice to the patient regarding make their own decisions and conclusions.

Medical interpretation is a valuable service to the community. It’s a very rewarding experience for us at Monterey Language Services. We have a great sense of helping others by providing medical interpretation to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) patients. Our goal is to put their mind at ease that their words are being understood, and they are understanding the words being said to them as well. This is what we call the essence of medical interpretation.