Researcher says Estonia lacks medical translation services
Healthcare workers in Estonia often overcome language barriers on their own when communicating with patients who do not speak Estonian. The reason is the lack of a structured translation service and funding for it, Ekaterina Maadla, a junior researcher at the Tallinn University School of Humanities, wrote in an opinion piece for ERR News.
According to the results of her study, 90% of surveyed healthcare workers named medicine instructions as the most important document requiring translation for successful treatment. Texts on patients' rights, informed consent forms and treatment recommendations were also considered important. For written translations, specialists prefer translation agencies, but believe that medical professionals should review and edit the completed text to ensure its quality.
As Maadla noted, healthcare workers rarely use professional interpreters in oral communication with patients. Instead, they seek help from colleagues, registration desk staff, relatives or other patients. The author writes that medical translation in Estonia is not funded, unlike interpretation in the police and court system, where EU directives require it.
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According to the study, nurses usually rely on colleagues, while doctors more often prefer professional interpreters, particularly during consultations. At the same time, Maadla states that Estonia has no professionally certified medical interpreters. The last master's programme in interpreting at Tallinn University was closed three years ago, so such specialists are no longer trained in the country.
English is most often proposed for written medical materials, with Russian named as the second language. For oral communication, both languages have similar importance, according to the study's findings. Some healthcare workers also oppose Russian-language signs and labels because of the historical and political sensitivity of the issue.
Maadla proposes identifying the documents and situations in which translation is needed, allocating responsibility for organising and funding the services, and developing a broader translation policy in healthcare.
