Demand For Hospital Interpreters Outstrips Supply

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Increased demand, lack of cash pinch interpreter services
Like many foreign residents, Wang Mei-chen can speak some Japanese, but not proficiently when it comes to discussing medical issues. So having an interpreter on hand when she visits a hospital with her newborn child is a boon. But groups that provide interpreters to hospitals to help foreign patients are having trouble making ends meet as demand outpaces funding. Wang...was assisted by medical interpreter Masayo Takii...Takii was dispatched by the Suita Inter-people Friendship Association, an affiliate of the Suita municipal government...Currently, 14 people are registered as qualified medical interpreters, specializing in Chinese, English, Korean or Spanish...An interpreter receives 3,000 yen for each visit. The association and the hospital pay 2,000 yen and 1,000 yen, respectively. Association officials say demand has outstripped expectations. In the current fiscal year, interpreters have been dispatched 27 times a month on average, up sharply from 12 times in fiscal 2007. Still, the project's budget can cover only 200 assignments during the current fiscal year...But interpretation services commonly face funding difficulties, according to people working with these projects...The Kyoto city government spends 5 million yen a year on fees for interpreters and other costs under a system run with other organizations. Since the current fiscal year, hospitals have been required to pay 10 percent of the fees and transportation expenses. At the same time, the fees have been raised to 1,000 yen per hour, up from 888 yen, to enlist qualified interpreters....Makiko Mizuno, a professor at Kinjo Gakuin University and author of books on interpretation, said the central government and companies that employ foreigners must play their part because interpretation services are essential for foreigners living in Japan. "A growing number of people have become capable medical interpreters, but they will move to other fields if their pay remains low," said Mizuno, who is helping the Suita city government with its system...more...

[kurohinge1]

Asahi: Increased demand, lack of cash pinch interpreter services . . .

I couldn't find the relevant post/article but buried somewhere in one of the FG Niseko/Sapporo/Hokkaido threads was a piece about how the hospitals up there (in the ski season, at least) are using video/voice calls over the internet to connect to interpreters as they couldn't supply enough to the hospitals.

It makes perfect sense as hospitals could have instant access to on-call interpreters in any language and the interpreters could operate from anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.


"No, the doctor wasn't saying you're having chicken for dinner, he said you've torn all your ligament fibres . . . "

[Mulboyne]

...buried somewhere in one of the FG Niseko/Sapporo/Hokkaido threads was a piece about how the hospitals up there (in the ski season, at least) are using video/voice calls over the internet to connect to interpreters as they couldn't supply enough to the hospitals...

Here

[TFG]

At just 3,000 Yen a visit, it is no wonder demand outstrips the supply.
It needs to be 10,000 Yen a visit at the very least.
I wouldn't get out of bed for 3,000 Yen let alone interpret at a hospital.

[Samurai_Jerk]

"chicken for dinner"

Racist

[Big Booger]

Racist

Quote:
Originally Posted by kurohinge1

"[I]chicken with hot sauce for dinner"[/I]


More Racist

[james]

At just 3,000 Yen a visit, it is no wonder demand outstrips the supply.
It needs to be 10,000 Yen a visit at the very least.
I wouldn't get out of bed for 3,000 Yen let alone interpret at a hospital.

agreed. i think that is damn cheap for interpretation services. "per visit" could be in excess of several hours of the interpreter's time when you include travel too. 3000 yen for that? could work out to little more than minimum wage.

[MrUltimateGaijin]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kurohinge1

"[I]chicken with hot sauce for dinner"[/I]


More Racist

followed by waffles

[amdg]

Quote:
Originally Posted by kurohinge1

"Oh Lawds! Is I in Heaven? [I]chicken with hot sauce for dinner"[/I]

A little bit more racist

[kurohinge1]

[quote="kurohinge1"]

. . .

"No, the doctor wasn't saying you're having chicken for dinner, he said you've torn all your ligament fibres . . . "

]

For those who didn't get it the first time around, the guy on the beach is the interpreter and he's talking to some injured FG stuck in a hospital in Japan!

[james]

For those who didn't get it the first time around, the guy on the beach is the interpreter who likes fried chicken and he's talking to some injured FG stuck in a hospital in Japan!

fixed that for ya