Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how businesses function and how people get access to the things they need. Whether going grocery shopping, going to a restaurant, and even going to see your family doctor, you likely are not doing things the way they were done before. For example, you may be required a mask to enter many establishments, as well as to obey social distancing rules. Just as this pandemic has affected many industries and businesses, foreign language interpreting and sign language interpreting are different now as well, as we are now forced to manage interpreting in the age of digital health and “telehealth.”
What is Digital Health & “Telehealth”?
Digital Health and “telehealth” are not exactly brand-new concepts. Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, doctors occasionally saw patients online, particularly for minor matters. Not surprisingly, the demand for this type of service skyrocketed when the coronavirus pandemic forced state and local governments to implement mandatory quarantines, and doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospitals became potential “hot spots” for the spread of the virus.
However, other medical needs did not go away when COVID-19 arrived. People still needed to see their family doctors, specialists, and go to the hospital for more pressing matters. Given the risks, though, how would this be accomplished? The answer for many was through online appointments, done via a web camera and an application such as Zoom, WebEx, or Google Meets. For emergency matters, doctors can direct their patients to come into their office or go to the hospital if grave enough.
Online appointments are just one aspect of digital health and “telehealth,” which have been in the making for a while. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and other government agencies and private-sector corporations have already been looking into how we can improve and reform healthcare services in the digital age. Many of the proposed measures to expand digital health and “telehealth” will lead to increased efficiency, lower costs, improving how patient data is used and transmitted, and much more.
Other elements of telehealth and telemedicine that are becoming more available include digital health promotion and disease prevention, the transmission of medical imaging for diagnosis, remote patient monitoring and care, easier and more secure data sharing, distance medical education, and much more. In the future, it may even be possible for surgeries to be performed remotely via a 5G connection. Just imagine that!
What Role Does Interpreting Play in Digital Health & “Telehealth”?
Interpretation services are one of the most frequently overlooked items when it comes to the future (and present) of digital health and “telehealth.” However, with a Limited English Proficient (LEP) population of more than 25.5 million people, accounting for more than 8% of the total U.S. population, as of 2013 (and expanding rapidly), there is a huge demand for foreign language interpreters in the medical/healthcare sector. In the past, some hospitals and clinics, particularly in larger metropolitan areas, had some staff interpreters for specific foreign languages that were widely spoken in their local area. Now, however, most interpreting work is outsourced to language service providers (LSPs). These LSPs typically offer on-site/in-person interpretation, over-the-phone interpretation (OPI), and video remote interpretation (VRI) solutions.
Actually, the transition into a more remote interpreting solution has been in place for some time, so the language services industry was mostly prepared to face the surge in demand. “Going remote” for interpreting services is better for everyone. It puts patients, healthcare providers, and the interpreters themselves at less of a risk. Besides that, there are numerous other advantages to selecting an OPI or VRI solution for medical interpreting:
- OPI and VRI solutions typically cost less than on-site/in-person interpreting, and is usually charged per minute rather than per hour (often with a minimum of 2-4 hours);
- Many of these services are available 24/7/365, allowing you to connect with an interpreter in a matter of seconds;
- More language offerings are readily available – even for the most low-density languages — since there are no distance or travel restrictions;
- Minimal technology is required. A regular landline is all you need to connect to OPI services and a laptop computer with WiFi and a webcam for VRI services. Long gone are the days when customers would have to buy special (and bulky) telephone equipment to access telephonic interpreting services.
So, as it appears, the interpreting industry was already prepared to shift to a nearly 100% remote working model when the pandemic struck. Many interpreters who previously supported on-site/in-person interpretation requests have now joined the ranks of remote interpreters, further strengthening the bandwidth and capabilities to support the growing needs of interpreting in the age of digital health and “telehealth.”
At Translation Source, we offer both video remote interpreting (VRI) and over-the-phone interpreting (OPI) solutions for the medical and healthcare industry. We have been at the forefront of engaging with digital health and “telehealth” providers to offer affordable, efficient, and high-quality interpreting services. If you would like more information on our remote interpreting solutions, please call us at (800) 413-7838 or email us at info@translation-source.com to speak with one of our expert representatives.
