Clinic staff must provide services in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate, which includes providing interpretation services when English is not a patient’s primary language. Clinics should avoid using children, other family members, relatives, friends, or bilingual staff (unless staff possess necessary interpreter skills, understand the interpreter’s role and ethics, and are familiar with medical and dental terminology) as interpreters. Instead, trained interpreters should be used. Although having an interpreter on staff is best, interpreters can also be hired on an hourly basis from a local agency. The Web sites of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care and the International Medical Interpreters Association provide information about interpretation services.

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