Hospital Translators/Interpreters

[Bayleaf]

Just wondering if there is a service attached to hospitals for this, that out-patients can pay for? I have a very dear, elderly client who has to go in for a prostrate operation soon. He has to see the anaesthesiologist (?) first for the usual "how to prepare for an operation", but must have a translator with him as his French isn't up to scratch (and he's also quite poorly and understandably stressed). His wife is not confident enough, and I would offer but not sure my medical French would be good enough either.

I'm wondering, in this day and age, if it could be done on speak 'phone, or suchlike? Then, geographically, the translator could be anywhere.

Any help greatly appreciated ....

[Sparkle]

I think @Blaze may be able to help - I can't remember the name of the site

[Spectrum]

Perhaps look on the hospitals website, I know that at Limoges there are translaters available for more than one language.

[Bayleaf]

Ah, that sounds promising. It's Francheville Périgord, in Périgueux. I think the wife has asked if the hospital has a list of translators they can use - obviously, they are happy to pay for the service.

I'll check out the website too ...

[Blaze]

I believe our association, Maux sans Frontière, is the only one in France that offers a free interpreting and translating service to hospitals, but we only work in the Saint-Malo area. The association has about 70 bénévole members and about 25 different languages. We have contracts with the local hospitals and clinics and whilst we are not "sworn" we are "authorised" and can intervene with patients and medical staff. Our services seem to be very much appreciated, particularly by the medical staff. We don't often hear anything back from patients !
http://www.mauxsansfrontiere.org/en/mau ... re-c3.html

I've always been surprised that other towns and cities haven't had the same initiative. One of our founder members had been the victim of an accident in Spain and didn't speak a word of Spanish. She realised that having interpreters available to help in such casses could be useful and this was the start of Maux sans Frontière. Another founder member was a Député for a long time and is now the current Maire of Saint-Malo.

[Sparkle]

@blaze I'm sure there are people in various regions/departements who would volunteer but I guess they don't know about the organisation. I would volunteer if I could but I don't speak the language well enough and I don't drive.

[Blaze]

@Sparkle If a town like Saint-Malo (pop. 45 - 50,000) can find people who speak different nationalities, I'm sure others could too and could set up a similar association. Yes, it's necessary have to have good French and preferably to be mobile. It's much easier now that restrictions on visitors to hospitals have been lifted.

Our bénévoles can say that they prefer not to take certain cases - some are more sensitive and would be nervous/uncomfortable in certain situations. Equally with, for example, Moslems, we try to have a man interpreting for a male patient and a woman for female patients. We are sensitive to other cultures and it's interesting what you can learn ! I once had to interpret for some English-speaking refugees who were having a "lesson" in contraception. I saw things I'd never seen before ...

Most of the English-speaking patients here are elderly, have lived in France for years but have never bothered to learn the language. The medical people are very relieved to have us ! It's also comforting for the patients to have someone of the same culture.

[Sparkle]

@Blaze We need more people like you and your organisation. Fortunately for me I can get by with my french just about and had to on a couple of hospital stays. I was very fortunate when I had my detached retina and a hole in something or other in the back of my eye as my surgeon used a translator on his PC to explain what was wrong and how it would be dealt with and added to not refer to it as a computer (the more you learn the less you know )

[Blaze]

@Sparkle Believe me, when we have to do medical translations, Google is your friend, though not Google Translate ! Fortunately most medical stuff can be found in English but obviously you have to choose your site carefully. That said, we learn so much terminology in French, we have to look it up in English
A detached retina is nasty and treated as an urgence here. OH had one and was referred immediately to the hospital in Le Mans which was brilliant. It was around the time when farmers were piling up rubber tyres on roundabouts and blocking roads. At that time we had a big 4x4 and I drove round a barrier and straight over a roundabout to get to the hospital !!!

[cinq]

The prostate surgeon in Perigueux speaks good English. I wish his written French was as good! I took an ordinance to the pharmacy thinking it was for medicine, even she could not read it. Eventually the manager looked at it and said it was for an "echography"