On this occasion, the doctor entered the room and ask the patient if he was a citizen of these United States of America. In an appropriate and humble manner, the patient responded that although he was not a citizen of the United States, he was a permanent resident with the paperwork to prove it. The doctor then followed that question by asking asking him to stand on his toes. The patient could barely even stand much less on his toes, so he explained to the doctor that he was unable to do so.
With a frustrated look, the doctor said the appointment was over. He was going to report to the insurance company that the patient was unwilling to comply with his test. As far as he was concerned, there was no real injury. The patient was in shock, he was flabbergasted.
I, too, was in shock. I had never seen such outward racism towards another person. What the doctor did was abuse and reprehensible. I reported it to the agency that hired me. There is no way to know if the agency did anything about it. After all, if the patient had been English speaking, there would be no interpreter; the patient would have to register the complaint.
This was the first time as a professional interpreter that I recognized that I could no longer be unbiased when it came to that doctor. From that moment on I never accepted another assignment at that doctor’s office.
Previously, I was present for another case when the insurance company provided an assessment by the same doctor. The workers’ compensation commissioner plainly stated that this doctor had no credibility and a terrible reputation for always siding with the insurance company.
After three years, his workers’ compensation claim finally settled. It was tragic to see a hard-working family man disabled for the rest of his life. Ethically, health care interpreters must maintain neutrality and unbiased and professionalism. After coming to know a person for 3 years, that can be a real challenge.
Anyway, a few months after his case was completed, I decided to visit him. I was no longer his interpreter and bound by the code of ethics to remain impartial. When I paid him a friendly visit, he was sitting in a wheelchair. Eventually, he no longer received aquatic physical therapy. This injured worker continued deteriorating and became wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. To make matters worse, since he was no longer able bodied and could provide for his family, his wife chose to leave him and take their children.
This experience crushed me. It became one of the main reasons I pursued preventing injuries by using my bilingual skills. I had many years of experience and safety before my career as an interpreter. Therefore, I decided to return to safety so that I could educate the Hispanic workforce. It pleases me to help prevent workplace injuries instead of observing the lifelong devastating effects of them. There is definite satisfaction in removing linguistic barriers for an injured worker during recuperation. However, it is distressing to see individuals who lives are forever marred because of the inability to recover.
