"Ta hui shui Putonghua"...."He speaks Chinese." That is what I told my son when I met our so called "interpreter" at the doctor's office.

I guess I spoke too soon as I found out that this "interpreter" hereafter referred to as "Mr.Thinks-he-speaks-Chinese" had lived in Taiwan for two years as a missionary, but had been back home for two years and hadn't really used his Chinese in the interim. Not only that, missionary work doesn't lend itself to knowing medical vocabulary for a doctor's appointment.

When the doctor entered the room, he asked my son how to say his Chinese name. Mr. Thinks-he-speaks-Chinese just sat there, so after a brief silence I turned and asked my son in Chinese to tell the doctor his name. The doctor asked Caleb where he was from in China. Mr. T-H-S-C came through this time and asked. Caleb giggled and replied, "I don't want to tell you." Mr. T-H-S-C proceeded to giggle as well. Big Bad Mom had to intervene and tell Mr. T-H-S-C "Would you please convey to my son that this is not funny and that we are not here to waste the doctor's time?" Looking like my dog does when he has been scolded, Mr. T-H-S-C told Caleb this...at least I am guessing he did since I don't speak much Chinese.

The rest of the appointment was a bust since the medical questions I had been waiting to ask via an interpreter went unanswered. The doctor proceeded to ask me questions of which I did not know the answers, rather than futilely attempt to get the answers from my son via this man who was clearly out of his league.

To make matters worse, the doctor was very softspoken, and as he tried to converse with me, our interpreter friend proceeded to play the rock, paper, scissors game with my son as they laughed and shouted in Chinese. Then Caleb taught him another version of the game where you jump and put one foot forward for paper, the other foot forward for scissors, etc...a game which might be great on a playground, but doesn't lend itself to a doctor's exam room. This 23 year old guy who acted about 9 by this point was actually jumping up and down and laughing loudly with Caleb. I wish I had film to let you know I am really not making this up. If I hadn't been there myself I wouldn't have believed it.

If you are looking for an interpreter to help facilitate communication with your newly adopted child, don't do what I did and accept whoever the doctor's office was willing to provide. I should know better...I interpret as my profession! Knowing how to advocate for your child's rights is important. Ben's appointments fall under the American With Disabilities Act since he is deaf, so a doctor cannot refuse an interpreter for him unless they can prove financial hardship to their practice.

With Caleb, however, I wasn't sure of my rights and allowed the office staff to find someone who spoke Chinese but clearly did not know the language well enough to interpret.

According to an article by Emily Herndon, MD, and Linda Joyce, titled "Getting the Most from Language Interpreters":

Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166, patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) have the right to a trained interpreter. Any practice receiving federal funding aside from Medicare part B must comply. Failure to use interpreters for LEP patients has led to higher hospital admission rates, increased use of testing, poorer patient comprehension of diagnosis and treatment, and misdiagnosis and improper treatment.

I'm not sure if my doctor's practice receives federal funding, but I will be sure to find out before the next appointment and insist on someone more qualified. I could have brought a friend with me who is fluent in Chinese, but as Herndon and Joyce point out, using friends and family who are not professional interpreters is not always the best idea. They may summarize or not convey all the appropriate information and are not bound by a professional code of ethics that includes 100% confidentiality about any information obtained during the appointment.

Our doctor's appointment with Caleb did indeed have poorer patient comprehension and could have led to improper treatment. As Herndon and Joyce clearly state, "Communicating with patients who have limited English proficiency requires more than simply finding someone who speaks their language."