The Aletheia Project

The Aletheia blog: You shouldn't have to be the interpreter
Culture & Identity

“can you just tell the doctor?”: when young people become the family interpreter

If you grew up speaking one language at home and another at school, you might know this moment well. You are sitting next to your mum, your dad or your grandmother in a GP’s office. The doctor turns to you, not to them. “Can you ask her where the pain is?”

And just like that, you are the interpreter.

Researchers have a name for this: language brokering. It is incredibly common in migrant and multilingual families, and it often comes from a place of real love and capability. But it was never meant to be your job. In most GP and pharmacy visits in Australia, there is a free, professional alternative. Most families we talk to have never been told about it.

How common this is

In the 2021 Census, 5.6 million people in Australia, about 22 per cent, reported using a language other than English at home. Around 3.4 per cent of the whole population said they spoke English not well or not at all.

Many of those people have kids, nieces, nephews and grandkids who are fluent in English. So the kids get called in.

There is not a lot of Australian data on how often young people interpret in health settings. One United States study gives a sense of it. Researchers surveyed 238 high school students, and 57.5 per cent said they helped family members with health care tasks. Of those, 81.7 per cent had translated, including explaining prescriptions and helping with conversations with doctors. Interestingly, the students’ feelings were mixed. Some found it stressful. Many also felt proud to help.

That matters. This is not a story about families doing something wrong. It is a story about a system that has a better option and does not always offer it.

Why it is harder than it looks

Being bilingual is a skill. Being a medical interpreter is a different skill.

Think about what you are actually being asked to do. Translate words like “biopsy”, “benign” or “contraindicated” on the spot, often into a language you mostly use for dinner-table conversation. Decide, in a split second, how to say “this could be serious” to someone you love. Hear things about a parent’s body or mental health that they may never have wanted you to know. Then go to school the next day.

The Victorian Government’s guidelines on using interpreting services are direct about this. They say it is “not acceptable to ask children under 18 years of age to interpret”, because children are unlikely to have the required language skills and are unlikely to be in a position to interpret exactly what is said. The same guidelines say family members and friends should not stand in for a credentialed interpreter, because of risks to confidentiality, misinterpretation, conflicting roles and exposure to distressing information.

In other words, the official advice already agrees with what many young people feel in that room: this is too much to carry, and something might get lost.

Aletheia pull-quote: Being the family’s English speaker is a strength. Being the family’s medical interpreter should be a choice, not a default.

The free service most families don’t know about

The Translating and Interpreting Service, known as TIS National, is run by the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs. Its immediate phone interpreting line, 131 450, is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for the cost of a local call. TIS says the majority of its services are free to non-English speakers, because the organisation you are contacting generally accepts the charges.

For health, the key part is the Free Interpreting Service. Eligible private medical practitioners, including GPs, specialists and nurse practitioners, along with pharmacies and some allied health providers, can use TIS interpreters at no cost for patients who are eligible for Medicare. According to the Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide, doctors even have a priority line with 24-hour access to phone interpreters.

That means in a lot of everyday situations, such as a GP check-up, collecting a new prescription or a specialist follow-up, a professional interpreter is available and free for the patient. Public hospitals generally arrange interpreters through their own language services.

Why the doctor might not offer it

If this service exists, why are so many teenagers still translating?

Sometimes it is time. Booking or calling an interpreter adds a step, and short appointments make everyone want to rush. Sometimes it is habit: a bilingual young person is right there, so the doctor turns to them. Sometimes families say “it’s fine, my daughter can help”, because they do not want to be a bother or did not know they could ask.

None of those reasons are about what is best for the patient. Using a professional interpreter protects your parent’s privacy, makes sure the doctor’s actual words get through, and lets you be what you came as: family.

What you can do

  • Ask when booking. When you or your parent books, say: “My mum will need an interpreter in [language]. Can you book one?” Name the dialect if it matters, for example Cantonese or Mandarin.
  • Ask in the room. If the doctor turns to you, it is okay to say: “Could we please use a phone interpreter? I’d rather not get anything wrong.”
  • Save 131 450. Put it in your parent’s phone and your own. Your parent can call TIS National and ask to be connected to a service they need to speak with.
  • Talk about it at home first. Some parents worry an interpreter means a stranger knowing their business. You can explain that it protects their privacy, because their child does not have to hear everything.
  • Stay in the room if you want to. Using an interpreter does not mean you have to leave. You can still be the support person, the note-taker or the hand to hold.
  • Use translated resources. Aletheia’s Multilingual Resources in Hindi, Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese are a starting point for conversations at home.

If interpreting for family is weighing on you, that is worth talking about too. Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) supports young people aged 5 to 25, any time.

This post is general health literacy information, not medical or legal advice. Services and eligibility can change, so check TIS National for the latest.

In voice and solidarity,
The Aletheia Project

Sources

Get in touch

contact@thealetheiaproject.org

Follow us
InstagramLinkedInMedium