title: Interpretation in consultations with immigrant patients with cancer: how accurate is it?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immigrants with cancer often have professional and/or family interpreters to overcome challenges communicating with their health team. This study explored the rate and consequences of nonequivalent interpretation in medical oncology consultations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive immigrant patients with newly diagnosed with incurable cancer, who spoke Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, or Greek, were recruited from the practices of 10 medical oncologists in nine hospitals. Their first two consultations were audio taped, transcribed, translated into English and coded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-two of 78 participants had an interpreter at 49 consultations; 43% of interpreters were family, 35% professional, 18% both a professional and family, and 4% a health professional. Sixty-five percent of professional interpretations were equivalent to the original speech versus 50% for family interpreters (P= .02). Seventy percent of nonequivalent interpretations were inconsequential or positive; however, 10% could result in misunderstanding, in 5% the tone was more authoritarian than originally intended, and in 3% more certainty was conveyed. There were no significant differences in interpreter type for equivalency of interpretations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nonequivalent interpretation is common, and not always innocuous. Our study suggests that there may remain a role for family or telephone versus face-to-face professional interpreters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  careful communication between oncologists and interpreters is required to ensure optimal communication with the patient.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, New South Wales, 2006, Australia. phyllis.butow@sydney
authors.forename: Phyllis N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Butow
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Melaine L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sze
authors.forename: Lynley J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Aldridge
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdo
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanious
authors.forename: Skye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iedema
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vardy
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ashgari
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eisenbruch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018912:Arabs; D001315:Australia; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003144:Communication Barriers; D054521:Cultural Competency; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008495:Medical Oncology; D008875:Middle Aged; D019303:Multilingualism; D009369:Neoplasms; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014175:Translating