Handling patient education or clinical instructions: what should you do?

• A. Translate accurately without adding content; confirm understanding
• B. Add clarifications and content
• C. Paraphrase content
• D. Provide medical advice

Answer: (A)

The essential principle here is fidelity in conveying patient education or clinical instructions. The interpreter’s job is to render exactly what the clinician said in the patient’s language, preserving all steps, dosages, cautions, and sequencing, without adding any new content or altering meaning. After translating, it’s important to check that the patient understood by having them restate or summarize the instructions—this confirms that the message was received as intended and helps catch any misinterpretation.

Adding clarifications and content would risk introducing information that wasn’t in the clinician’s directives, potentially changing the meaning or introducing new steps. Paraphrasing can alter nuance or emphasis and isn’t as reliable as a faithful translation. Providing medical advice is outside the interpreter’s role and could lead to unsafe or inappropriate guidance.