Lost In Translation

One of the clinics I work at has a large Hispanic population, most of whom speak only Spanish and require a translator.  Generally speaking I am not used to working through a translator and this additional step can make things a bit difficult (as if the job of taking a history, doing a physical, coming up with a diagnosis, and then coming up with a treatment plan wasn't difficult enough).  You really need a good translator to effectively communicate.  Last time I worked at this clinic my translators were only OK.  I found people giving inconsistent histories and explaining symptom complexes that really didn't make any sense.  I truthfully wasn't sure if it was the language barrier or different cultures or if the patients weren't really all that sick.  But what can I do?  I don't speak Spanish, so I just tried my best with what I had to work with and moved on.

Speaking of moving on, the Olympics ended a few weeks ago and now Sarah and I have found another sporting event to dominate our time for the next couple of weeks: the US Open.  We're both pretty big tennis fans.  I love prime time at the Open.  Some of those matches go on way into the night.  Here's hoping for some closer matches in the upcoming days.  Sharapova has steamrolled through the first couple of rounds.