Under what circumstances may an interpreter disclose confidential information?

• A. Always disclose confidential information upon request by any clinician.
• B. Never disclose confidential information.
• C. Only when required by law or policy (e.g., mandatory reporting) or to protect patient safety; otherwise keep confidences.
• D. Disclosures are allowed whenever the patient is in the same room.

Answer: (C)

Confidentiality in interpreting means what the patient shares with clinicians should be kept private, to maintain trust and ensure open communication. You may disclose information only in limited, legitimate circumstances: when required by law or policy (such as mandatory reporting) or to protect patient safety (if there is imminent risk to the patient or others). Outside of those situations, the information should be kept confidential.

Saying you must always disclose upon any clinician’s request ignores privacy rules and the need to protect patient trust. Saying you never disclose ignores legal and safety obligations that legitimately require sharing in specific cases. Merely being in the same room with the patient does not authorize disclosure; privacy protections still apply unless there’s a lawful exception or patient safety concern.

So, the best approach is to disclose only when mandated by law or policy or to protect safety, otherwise keep confidential.