Translator in a medical consultation: what you need to know

A medical consultation is a meeting of two experts: The doctor and the patient. Confidentiality being one of the requirements for a good medical consultation, it is an ideal not to have another person different from the doctor and the patient during a consultation. Often the doctor needs a translator to understand the patient’s preoccupation. The presence of a translator modifies the course of the consultation and it is questionable whether in such condition, the patient expresses himself well and the doctor understands him well. In developed world, the context seems to be well organized with the training of persons able to interpret patients well. In our conditions, it is possible for a doctor who needs a translator to remain within the acceptable limits of a medical consultation by using the principles commented in this article.