Language Assistance & Interpreter Services

Interpreter Services at Lahey

The ability to communicate with your care team is essential to receiving quality care. Lahey patients and their loved ones who are non-English speaking, have limited English proficiency (LEP) or are deaf or hard-of-hearing have the right to competent and free medical interpreter services. This includes international patients seeking care at Lahey from abroad.

To schedule an interpreter, please call 781-744-5404.

If possible, it’s important to plan your care in advance. When you call for an appointment, please make sure to let Lahey staff know about your need for an interpreter and to keep a record of your primary language. They will make sure that a competent medical interpreter who is fluent in both English and your primary language is present for your appointment.

Competent Interpreters

As a patient at Lahey, you have the right to be understood by your care team, including when you seek emergency or mental health care. The Coordinator of Interpreter Services, in compliance with state and federal law, utilizes the services of "competent" medical language interpreters.

A "competent" interpreter is a person who is fluent in both English and the language of the non-English speaker. They are also trained in interpretation and are knowledgeable of the specialized medical terms and concepts that need to be interpreted for the purposes of receiving care or treatment.

Language Translation Services

Lahey serves patients from a wide variety of language backgrounds. To ensure we are best able to support you, we also provide translation services for patients who are unfamiliar with the English language. It’s recommended that you contact us in advance of your visit, if possible, so we can best accommodate your needs.

In cases where we can’t anticipate the need for an interpreter for a particular language, Lahey Clinic has access to Language Line Services that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Patients

Lahey utilizes a variety of resources, including the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired, to provide services for deaf and hard-of-hearing patients. Generally, requests for appointments require two to three weeks advance notice for service coordination. However, these may be expedited based on interpreter availability.

In addition, the Lahey Department of Audiology has auxiliary aids available for use by patients who are hard-of-hearing, including:

• Assistive listening systems
• One-to-one assistive systems
• TV Decoders
• TTD/TTY for telephones
• Telephone amplifiers
• Visual signalers

The Department of Audiology may be contacted at 781-744-2528.

Speech-Impaired Patients

The Department of Speech Pathology at Lahey has augmentative communication devices available for patients who are unable to communicate verbally.

These devices must remain at the hospital. If the patient continues to require a communication device upon discharge, arrangements will be made with the patient and family to purchase a device from the distributor.

The Department of Speech Pathology may be contacted at 781-744-8452.

Language Assistance Rooted in Our Mission

Lahey is dedicated to providing exceptional, compassionate care to all our patients. As part of that mission, we strive to meet your unique cultural, ethnic and psychosocial needs. Our language assistance services ensure we can communicate with you and your loved ones and deliver care that meets your specific health needs.