Medical interpreters often find themselves at the center of complex conversations, where accuracy alone isn’t enough. Ethical reasoning, situational awareness, and sound decision-making are just as essential to navigating the gray areas of patient-provider communication. In this post, we’ll explore three foundational tools every interpreter should know: the Four Pillars of Medical Ethics, the Demand-Control
A few days ago, Fox 8 published an article reporting that an interpreter had committed a severe protocol violation that questioned the legitimacy of a caller who had been severely injured by a gunshot during a 911 emergency call. Arquimedes Diaz’s Story A Spanish speaker called 911 for assistance after being shot in his car.
The Case of Willie Ramirez in the 1980s Let’s imagine a medical encounter with a Spanish-speaking patient, a doctor, and a family member acting as an interpreter. The doctor asks the patient why they think they may have gotten sick, and the patient says he thinks he’s ”intoxicado”, which is the Spanish word for ”food
In this article, I’ll provide a brief overview of Kohlberg’s moral theory and how it can help medical interpreters make ethical decisions. I’ll use examples of common challenges and ethical dilemmas that interpreters face on the job to examine them through Kohlberg’s eyes. I believe that understanding Kohlberg’s theory can improve moral reasoning flexibility, increase
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