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Language Services

Provincial Language Services strives to create equitable language and communication access to all health information for patients and clients.

Hello in several languages

Provincial Language Services helps organizations better serve their linguistically and culturally diverse clients, including immigrants, refugees, official minority language speakers and members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community through high-quality interpreting and translation. 

Equity & access

Provincial Language Services offers high-quality language access services to health authorities, family practice practitioners, specialist offices, and other allied health professionals.

Services we provide

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Indigenous language access

We are collaborating with Indigenous communities across British Columbia to develop a comprehensive model that improves access to health-care services in Indigenous languages. This initiative, currently in its early stages, focuses on building relationships, listening, and understanding the distinct needs of each community.

The Indigenous Language Access report (PDF), informed by conversations with First Nations and Indigenous individuals and organizations, provides insights on how this work will be achieved. Based on the findings of this report, we will continue to partner with First Nations communities to co-create an Indigenous-led model for language access that prioritizes Indigenous ways of knowing.

This visual represents the framework on which Indigenous language services will be developed and provided.

indigenous-langauge-access-framework.jpg

Earth

  • Indigenous Peoples are unique and diverse, as are their protocols.
  • There is an inherent responsibility to ask and follow local protocols to ensure accountability and transparency.

Air

  • Language rights of an Indigenous individual are equal to health rights.
  • Indigenous language interpreter/translator innovations occur in partnership with Indigenous communities and health-care partners.

Fire

  • Resources and tools are created in a coming together of both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing.
  • The health-care system mobilizes Indigenous-specific anti-racism and cultural safety education.
  • Resources remain rooted in Indigenous perspectives on health and wellness.

Water

  • Collaborative processes are in place, including priority areas for implementation, the co-creation of advisory teams, and parity and consistency in service delivery to support ease of access.
  • Process on how to access interpreter and/or translator services is clear, user-friendly, step-by-step.
  • Communication plan across the health-care system so that every door is the right door to access.

Service benefits

Using an equity-driven approach, Provincial Language Services works to ensure communication between the patient and provider is accessible. All of our services assist in creating equitable access to health care and health information for patients who speak immigrant and refugee languages, official minority language speakers (French in B.C.), and members of the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing community.

Services include interpreting (rendering of oral language), translation (rendering of written language), community outreach, health navigation services, and knowledge translation promotion.

Our services optimize the delivery of safe and equitable health care for patients with various cultural and language needs.

Quality assurance

At Provincial Language Services, quality assurance is a multi-level process embedded in all aspects of our service delivery. Our processes contribute to a culture of continuous improvement of our services and organization.

Provincial Language Services adheres to strict policies and procedures on professional conduct. Any compliments or complaint/incident regarding Provincial Language Services procedures, staff, contract staff and service providers (interpreter, intervenor, captioner and translator) is documented, investigated and tracked.

To report adverse events, good catches (near misses) and safety hazards related to language access, use Patient Safety & Learning System.

 

To make a compliment or complaint, please contact Provincial Language Services Quality Assurance.


MouseEmail:plsqualityassurance@phsa.ca


CameraVideo call:& Email plsqualityassurance@phsa.ca to schedule a video call


faxFax: 604-297-9304


PhonePhone: 604-297-8400


mailMail:
Provincial Language Services Quality Assurance
1795 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, B.C.
V5V 6E3


Policy & legal
PHSA Language Access Policy
The Language Access Policy (PDF) directs PHSA staff on the appropriate use of language services to reduce or eliminate language barriers to optimize safe and equitable care delivery. 

Accessing Interpreting and Translation Services protocols
Accessing Interpreting and Translation Services (PDF) protocols were developed to support the Provincial Health Service Authority Language Access Policy, which directs PHSA staff on using language services to reduce or eliminate language barriers that may negatively impact patient safety and/or be a barrier to delivering equitable care.

Consent to health care
During consent to health care discussions, a qualified interpreter and translator are to be used to gain consent should there be a language barrier between PHSA staff and the patient or patient’s spouse, or any near relatives or close friends who accompany the patient and offer their assistance. For Indigenous languages, an Indigenous patient liaison or elder may assist with consent in lieu of a qualified interpreter. Please refer to PHSA’s Consent to Health Care Policy.

Privacy and confidentiality
All patient information collected during an interpreting or translation request is deemed and will remain confidential. Information is only disclosed to those directly responsible for carrying out all aspects of the service provision. All matters covered by this policy are subject to PHSA’s Privacy and Confidentiality Policy (PDF).

Legal
Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing individuals have a legal right to access sign language interpreters, intervenors and Computer-Assisted Remote Translation (CART) services at medical appointments following a 1997 Supreme Court of Canada rule that sign language interpreting must be provided to Deaf patients in B.C. to comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Please read more on Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing legal rights.
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