CHATS – Community & Home Assistance to Seniors is reaching out to meet the needs of even more culturally-diverse clients, with the recent launch of its new Interpretation Service.
The Interpretation Service will help CHATS to support non-English speaking clients and their families in an immediate and professional way. Specifically, the service may assist with:
- Clients who speak a language other than English and who have difficulty understanding or participating in a conversation with CHATS staff.
- Situations where, historically, a family member would have been asked to translate for the client, where that family member may not be able to reflect the clients’ needs and wants effectively, or where family members have different interpretations of these needs.
- Situations in which staff, who may speak the language but are not professional interpreters, may have been asked to assist.
For years, CHATS has had dedicated language-lines for those who speak Italian, Farsi, Russian, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and we have staff that speak a total of 26 languages. We felt it necessary to take an extra step, to ensure all clients’ language and communications needs are being met. Without professional interpretation, messages are ‘lost in translation’ and this can impact the quality and safety of our client care. CHATS clients now qualify to receive the following interpretation services:
- Immediate phone interpretation – usually within 30 seconds
- Scheduled interpretation – in person or video, booked in advance
Interpretation is available in more than 200 languages. Clients simply call CHATS, and when a language need is identified, we connect with professional interpreters from a well-respected company called MCIS Language Services. MCIS is contracted through Vaughan Community Health Centre, through funding from the Central LHIN, and provides immediate access to an interpreter who serves as the “go-between” communicator for the staff and client. This is a free service for CHATS clients.
As time goes by, the number of clients who speak a language other than English will increase, and interpretation services will be even more relevant. With quality improvement always on our minds, this is an important service to be able to offer our clients.