Language is a verbal expression of culture. When cultures meet, different languages express similar ideas in different ways, creating a display of human creativity. Ideally, language should not be an obstacle but a support when different cultures work together to achieve a common goal.

However, Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients have long faced difficulties in accessing health care due to language barriers and the lack of language interpretation services. In 2018, there are over forty-five million Americans who speak a language other than English at home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sixty-one percent of Vietnamese Americans do not speak English “very well.”

I was born and raised in Vietnam. I attended two universities in Vietnam before coming to America, where my curiosity for knowledge was well-fed by the openness of the American educational system. I was allowed to pick any major I wished. I completed three Masters’ degrees in three different fields: Computer Science, Finance, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I am currently working as a Computer Science lecturer, programmer, and freelance interpreter.

Interpreting is very rewarding for me. After each interpretation assignment, I feel I reached out to the Vietnamese community and did a service for a Vietnamese person. The feeling is special.

In the last ten years, I have provided different types of interpretation services for the Vietnamese community and American companies. The two most common types are interpretation for school meetings and interpretation for information technology conferences. Health Care Interpretation is a relatively new field for me. I have done a number of assignments at San Francisco hospitals. During these assignments, I realized that in order to provide high quality health care interpretation, I should attain formal training. I found the well-known Health Care Interpreter Program at City College of San Francisco. This program provides more than 400 hours of in-class lectures and laboratory training and four months of internship at a major Bay Area hospital. Both California and National Standards of Practice are included in the instruction. I also have had the opportunity to meet and learn from many bright interpreters of different cultures and different languages. I will complete this program at the end of May 2019.

Schindler's List (1993) is one of my favorite movies. And “whoever saves one life saves the world entire” is my favorite line from this movie. When I can assist a Vietnamese patient in getting better access to care, I feel very happy as if I have made a difference. It is like unlocking the Tower of Babel.