ISO 21998:2020

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2021
Storitve tolmačenja - Tolmačenje v zdravstvu - Zahteve in priporočila
Interpreting services -- Healthcare interpreting -- Requirements and recommendations
Services d'interprétation -- Interprétation dans le domaine de la santé -- Exigences et
recommandations
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: ISO 21998:2020
ICS:
01.020 Terminologija (načela in Terminology (principles and
koordinacija) coordination)
03.080.99 Druge storitve Other services
11.020.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi z Other standards related to
zdravstvom na splošno health care in general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 21998
First edition
2020-12
Interpreting services — Healthcare
interpreting — Requirements and
recommendations
Services d'interprétation — Interprétation dans le domaine de la
santé — Exigences et recommandations
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
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ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 Terms related to people involved in interpreting and to modes of interpreting . 1
3.2 Terms related to translation . 4
3.3 Terms related to interpreting settings and specializations . 4
3.4 Terms related to language . 5
4 Healthcare interpreter competences . 6
4.1 Patient safety competence . 6
4.2 Linguistic proficiency competence . 6
4.3 Intercultural competence . 7
4.4 Interpersonal competence . 7
4.5 Technical competence . 7
4.6 Competence in health-related terminological research . 7
4.7 Healthcare related competence . 7
4.8 Communicative competence . 7
4.9 Interpreting competence. 8
4.10 Entrepreneurial competence . 8
5 Healthcare interpreting qualifications . 8
6 Linguistic assistance . 8
7 Authorization as healthcare interpreter . 8
8 Professional development — Continuing education . 9
9 Responsibilities of interpreting service providers and interpreters .9
9.1 Responsibilities of the interpreting service providers . 9
9.2 Responsibilities of healthcare interpreters .10
Annex A (informative) Selection of the interpreting mode .12
Annex B (informative) Selection of the interpreting modality .13
Annex C (informative) Self-care and vicarious trauma .15
Bibliography .16
Foreword
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different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 37, Language and terminology,
Subcommittee SC 5, Translation, interpreting, and related technology.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
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iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Introduction
Healthcare interpreting services:
a) enable safe communication mainly between healthcare providers and patients;
b) provide linguistic access to healthcare services.
This document was developed in response to a worldwide growing demand to accommodate the
interpreting needs of patients deprived of linguistic access to healthcare services and healthcare
professionals, such as physicians, nurses, and healthcare administrative staff, as well as to strive
towards patient safety, wellbeing, and dignity during interactions related to the provision of healthcare-
related services. In those countries that do not have any recognized healthcare interpreting education
in place, this document can serve as a guideline and basis for setting up a suitable legal, administrative
and educational system for all healthcare interpreting stakeholders.
Healthcare interpreting is also referred to as medical interpreting.
The right to health services has been well documented in several international and national documents
(see References [6] to [42]). Several countries have also enacted legislation, regulations, or guidelines
concerning the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate healthcare services. These require
the provision of qualified interpreting services for linguistically and culturally diverse patients, see
References [43] to [48]. Healthcare interpreting services need to be of a sufficiently high quality to
ensure patient safety.
Healthcare interpreting is distinct from medical or healthcare-related translation. Translation involves
the rendering of various forms of content into another language in written form, requiring a process
and the allocation of a certain period of time for the task. Interpreting involves rendering spoken or
signed messages from one language to another, either face-to-face or via distance interpreting. Some
healthcare interpreters are qualified to provide medical translation while others are not. Likewise, some
medical translators may or may not be qualified to provide healthcare interpreting services, as these
activities require different skill sets. When documents are not translated, healthcare interpreters sight
translate the document into the other language. The provisions herein meet additional requirements
that are specific and unique to healthcare interpreting and the healthcare environment.
Healthcare interpreting takes place between three or more participants:
1) speaker(s) or signer(s) of a language other than the language the healthcare provider speaks or signs;
2) healthcare providers or staff;
3) healthcare interpreter(s).
Healthcare organizations procure interpreting services directly or via an interpreting service
provider (ISP). Healthcare interpreters, who come into a healthcare organization to interpret for a
particular case, whether face-to-face or via distance interpreting (see Annex B), limit themselves to
engaging in the communicative events that require their services. Healthcare interpreters who work
in an interpreter services department within a healthcare organization perform tasks and take on
responsibilities beyond the act of interpreting in communicative events. These tasks can be related to
bridging the cultural and linguistic gaps of the healthcare community, can involve intercultural inquiry,
cultural or linguistic education of other healthcare staff, contacting patients, written translations, or
addressing matters related to the administration and quality assurance of the interpreting department
in question, or comply with patient safety responsibilities as required by their employer. Healthcare
interpreters follow standards of practice (see References [49] to [54]) and relevant code of ethics.
The objectives of this document are:
a) to promote market transparency in the field of healthcare interpreting;
b) to provide information and clarification for users of healthcare interpreting services;
c) to establish professional working conditions for healthcare interpreters.
This document benefits all parties involved in the work of healthcare interpreting. They include:
— healthcare interpreters;
— interpreting service providers;
— patients and accompanying persons;
— interpreter departments in healthcare organizations;
— government agencies;
— non-profit organizations;
— community organizations that provide interpreting services;
— employees that provide interpreting services;
— professional associations;
— healthcare organizations;
— educators and researchers;
— healthcare providers and staff;
— healthcare policy writers.
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