Video interpreting in hospitals: how it works

The process is simpler than many expect. The ward reports the need with language, time, approximate duration and purpose. At the agreed time the doctor or nurse opens the video link on the tablet or laptop, the interpreter joins, introduces themselves briefly in German and Arabic, and explains to the patient in their dialect that everything said will be translated and nothing passed on. From then on the clinical team speaks directly to the patient as usual, in short segments, and the interpreter renders consecutively.

The interpreter sees the room, the patient and, if the camera is placed well, the face of the clinician too. This matters: facial expressions, gestures, pointing to the painful spot, all of it is part of the conversation. At the end the team summarises what was agreed, the interpreter renders it once more, and the call ends. A typical admission interview takes twenty to thirty minutes this way, a ward round often only five.

No special equipment is needed. A tablet on a mobile stand is the most practical option on wards, because it can be wheeled to the bed and positioned at the patient's eye level. A laptop or smartphone works too. As a platform we use whatever the hospital uses: Microsoft Teams, Zoom or the clinic's own solution. We adapt to the software, not the other way round, and test access before the first session.

Video interpreting suits the many short and medium length conversations of everyday clinical work, where availability and speed matter and the situation is emotionally manageable. The great advantage: the conversation happens when it is needed, not tomorrow afternoon when someone has time to come by.

Some conversations are obstructed by a screen. When the news is heavy, when relationship and trust are part of the treatment, or when the patient cannot engage with the technology, the interpreter should be in the room. We say so when a ward books us by video for such a conversation, and we suggest an on-site appointment instead.

Health data belongs to the specially protected categories under the GDPR. Video interpreting does not change that, but it requires a few clear rules. We use the platform approved by the hospital and no private messengers. Conversations are not recorded, neither by us nor, without consent, by the clinical team. The interpreter works from a closed room where nobody can listen in, and with headphones. Notes taken during the conversation as a memory aid are destroyed after the session.

Interpreters are bound by confidentiality, and on request we confirm this with a written agreement provided by the hospital or by us. It is important for the patient to hear this: many Arabic speaking patients fear that information will reach their community. A short sentence at the start, that the interpreter passes nothing on, makes the conversation more open and the history more complete.

A briefing does not have to be long, but it makes the difference between a smooth and a bumpy session. One minute before the patient is brought in is enough, either in a short phone call or in the first seconds of the video call, before the tablet is wheeled to the bed.

The practical advantage of video interpreting is short notice. For on-site assignments we ask for at least 48 hours' lead time where possible; remote interpreting, by contrast, is often possible on the same day, sometimes within the hour, because there is no travel and the interpreter can join between two other assignments. For planned conversations such as consent discussions or discharges we still recommend booking the day before, so the time slot is secure.

We interpret Arabic in all dialects, German and English, by video via Zoom, Teams and other platforms as well as by telephone. For hospitals and practices with regular needs we set up fixed routines: an e-mail address for requests, a permanent video link, a list of contact persons. On the day itself, all that is left is the call.