| ad hoc interpreter |
An untrained person who is called upon to interpret, such as a family member interpreting for his or her parents, a bilingual staff member pulled away from other duties to interpret, or a self-declared bilingual in a hospital waiting-room who volunteers to interpret. Also called a chance interpreter or lay interpreter.* |
bilingual |
Describes someone who has some degree of proficiency in two languages. A high level of bilingualism is the most basic of the qualifications of a competent interpreter but by itself does not ensure the ability to interpret.* |
bilingual provider |
A person with proficiency in more than one language, enabling him or her to provide services directly to limited-English proficient patients in his or her non-English language.* |
bilingual worker/employee |
An employee who is a proficient speaker of two languages, usually English and a language other than English, who is often called upon to interpret for limited-English proficient patients, but who is usually not trained.* |
dual role interpreter |
An employee who is a proficient speaker of two languages, usually English and a language other than English, who is often called upon to interpret for limited-English proficient patients, and who has undergone training and testing. |
trained interpreter |
A person who renders a message spoken in one language into a second language, and who has been trained and tested. |
