Shared Health Language Access

Language Access Interpreter Services is a Shared Health program that provides professional, spoken-language interpretation for immigrant/refugee languages to all health service delivery organizations in Manitoba, 24/7/365. Interpreter services are available face-to-face and remotely (conference call, video conference) in over 30 languages from staff interpreters and over-the-phone in over 200 languages with an average connect time of less than 2-minutes (provided by an external contracted provider).

Accredited interpreter services help bridge language barriers between Health Care Providers and patients/clients/residents who do not share a common language. This can help to:

Enhance patient safety.
Increase patient understanding and satisfaction.
Improve quality of care and ensure informed consent.
Improve accessibility.
Protect confidential patient information.
Build relationships between providers and patients.
Meet professional and legal obligations.

Language Access interpreters are Shared Health casual employees who:

Have passed interpreter language assessments.
Have successfully completed Language Access Interpreter Training (72 hrs).
Have successfully completed a criminal record check, a child abuse registry check, and an adult abuse registry check.
Have signed a confidentiality pledge regarding the Personal Health Information Act.
Perform their role in accordance with the Language Access Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice for Interpreters, including the principles of Accuracy, Confidentiality and Impartiality.

Professional Language Access Interpreters are:

Confidential
Accurate
Impartial
Respectful
Accountable

Requesting an interpreter

Service providers must request interpreters on behalf of their patients/clients when required. To request an interpreter, service providers may select one of the following submission methods:

Phone (24/7): Call Language Access Central Dispatch at 204-788-8585.

Fax (Mon-Fri, 08:00-16:00): Complete the Language Access Interpreter Request Form and fax it to 204-940-8650.

Email (Mon-Fri, 08:00-16:00): Complete the Language Access Interpreter Request Form and email to languageaccess@sharedhealthmb.ca.

Note: For interpretation in Indigenous languages or American Sign Language (ASL), call Language Access central dispatch at 204-788-8585 to be routed to the applicable department or agency that provides this service. Language Access partners with WRHA Indigenous Health, Kivilliq Inuit Services and the E-Quality Communication Centre of Excellence (ECCOE) for the provision of professional interpreter services for all language constituencies.

Availability

Language Access interpreter services are available to:

Shared Health sites/programs
CancerCare Manitoba
Interlake Eastern sites/programs
Northern Health Region sites/programs
Prairie Mountain Health sites/programs
Southern Health-Sante Sud sites/programs
WRHA sites/programs and WRHA-funded facilities
Fee-for-service physicians working in the Winnipeg Health Region

Language Access Interpreter Services are also available on a cost-recovery basis to other government departments as well as other organizations (e.g. MB Prosecutions, MB Child & Family Services, etc.).

Services Provided

Face-to-face (in-person) Interpretation – Language Access interpreter is in same room as service provider and patient/client/resident. A list of current in-person languages is available here.
Conference Call Interpretation – Remote interpretation of a telephone conversation between two or more people who do not speak a common language. Can be used to schedule appointments, follow up or check in with patients after an appointment, procedure, etc., or provide instructions prior to an appointment.
Video Conference – Language Access interpreter provides remote interpreter services via an online video conference platform selected by the requester (e.g. Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
Message Relay – Language Access interpreter calls patient/client to relay information that has been provided by a third party, such as appointment details (e.g., name of service provider, appointment date, time, location, special instructions).
Reminder Call – Language Access interpreter calls patient/client two business days before scheduled appointment to remind them of appointment details (name of service provider, date/time, location and special instructions as applicable).
Over-the-phone (OTP) Interpretation – Interpreter from third party contracted vendor provides remote interpreter service over-the-phone as needed 24/7/365. OTP Interpretation is available in over 200 languages with an average connect time of less than 2 minutes.
Sight Translation – Language Access interpreter orally renders the content of a written document from a source language to a target language.