UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester provides qualified medical interpreters to assist patients and families who do not speak English, have limited English proficiency, or are deaf or hard of hearing.
Interpreters are available free of charge 24 hours a day, seven days a week for approximately twenty languages, including American Sign Language.
Face-to-face interpretation is the primary method of interpretation. However, interpretation by telephone is always available for languages for which the interpreter may not be readily available, in situations in which the patient requests it, or for the purpose of decreasing the patient and provider's waiting time for an interpreter.
Additionally, our interpreters can help respond to calls from patients for both medical and nonmedical issues (e.g., medication refills, urgent visits, billing, financial services, appointment scheduling, etc.).
TTYs and assistive listening devices (such as amplified handsets and pocket talkers) are available.
Requesting an Interpreter
-
Same Day Requests - Notify a health care provider upon arrival to the hospital that an interpreter is required.
-
Future Requests - Our computerized scheduling system allows patients to schedule an appointment and simultaneously schedule an interpreter simply by notifying the scheduler that an interpreter is needed.
For more information, call the Interpreter Services Department at
774-441-6793 (voice) or 774-441-8138 (TTY).