The Language Barrier:  The language barrier has proven to be the greatest single barrier to health care access for Latinos.  Often parents do not speak English very well or even at all.  Language problems sometimes prevent individuals from bringing themselves or family members in for care.  A plethora of Latinos also believe that language difficulties have led to inadequate medical care, misdiagnoses, inappropriate medications, and sometimes even inappropriate hospitalization.

Doctors and Medical Staff Should Be Aware:

• The problem of the language barrier can be combated by taking a variety of measures. 
• The inability to speak Spanish can  be dealt with by hiring more bilingual staff at all levels, including clerks, medical assistants, nurses, and physicians (Moreno, 436). 
• Medical Spanish classes could also be offered in medical schools, clinics, and hospitals.  These classes can enable current staff to enhance communication with Latino families (Servants, 6). 
• Difficulties concerning  the lack of medical interpreters can be overcome with increased training and recruitment and by means of partnerships with local Latino communities.
• Latinos receive communication about health information through television, radio, newspapers, and friends (Westman, 294). 
• Among the Latino population, health-related television and radio programs are considered particularly beneficial (Vitucci, 41). 
• Numerous participants mentioned the Spanish-language radio program hosted by Latino physician Dr. Elmer Huerta. 
• Brochures and handouts did not receive a high rate of efficiency from my interviewees.  Typically, they end up forgotten and stored.   Often they can not even comprehend the language utilized.  The general consensus was that any brochures which were produced should at least use bright colors, illustrations, and a "catchy title."  Furthermore, the materials should be bilingual. [Please Note:  All info not annotated was provided by contacts.

Voces/Voices: Below one will find several stories, to be read at leisure, that exemplify the difficulties posed by the language barrier:

My interviews have provided me with several examples of language difficulties.  It certainly does not take much to discourage a stranger in a strange land from learning the new language.  This is the lesson I learned from Antonia Sanchez.  Antonia, an interpreter, immigrated to the United States from Puerto Rico in 1960 because her father was looking for work.  Antonia soon enrolled in an ESL class.  However, on the first night of school a boy pulled her into the corridor by her long black hair and she fled the building screaming, never to return.  She would learn English through television and radio, rather than the conventional classroom.

Antonia told an additional story about a family for whom she interprets.   A child went with his grandmother to the doctor to interpret for her.  However, as is often the case, the child understood more English than Spanish.  Additionally, he was embarrassed to translate some of his elder's ailments and did not understand them all.  This caused a miscommunication about the elder's health status and in the end her health suffered as a result of it.

Sandra Torres, another interpreter, immigrated from Peru at age 7.  She enlightened me on how the language barrier can confound the administration of medication.   There are subdivisions within every culture, including that of the Latinos.  The meaning of a word in one Hispanic culture may not be identical to its meaning in another Hispanic culture.  For example, in the majority of Hispanic cultures the term "ahora" signifies now, as in at this very moment.  However, in Mexico the term "ahora" can mean now as in twenty-four hours later.  Hence, if one is explaining when and how to administer medication to a Mexican he must use their phrase for right now, which is "ahorrita."

Additionally, Sandra also made reference to the wayfinding difficulties that Spanish patients experience with the doctor and in the hospital, due to a dearth of bilingual signs.   Moreover, even if they are able to locate the correct medical and social service forms, they are unable to fill them out.  The forms are usually available in  Spanish , though patients are unaware of this.