When it comes to healthcare, clear communication isn’t just helpful — it can be a matter of life and death. This article follows Marisol Fitzwater, interpreter quality assurance department manager at Certified Languages International, as she shares real stories of patients lost in translation, highlighting the serious risks of relying on untrained friends or family to interpret. Fortunately, there’s a solution: medical interpreters are not only highly experienced, they’re also legally guaranteed — and free — to anyone who’s not comfortable discussing complex medical care in English. With over 27 million people in the U.S. speaking English “less than well,” the need for accurate, compassionate language support is essential. Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or provider, this article offers practical steps for requesting an interpreter, explains how Medicare, the Social Security Administration, and other agencies provide language services, and reinforces that understanding your medical care is a basic human right — not a luxury.
