people in my community with limited language skills,” Mr. Chinchilla says. He never thought he would become a medical interpreter. He found a job at Einstein Healthcare Network in 2006, working in the orthopedics department as a medical records clerk. He continued studying English and then decided to receive special training as a medical interpreter. He also took classes to learn about anatomy, physiology, and medical terms. In 2010, Laura Romano hired Mr. Chinchilla as a medical interpreter in the Einstein department she directs called Volunteer, Chaplaincy, Language and Cultural Services. She oversees 11 interpreters who speak Spanish, Russian, and Korean, among other languages. For the languages she doesn’t have staff for, Ms. Romano finds someone with the proper training. In 2013, Einstein served patients who spoke 110 different languages. Mr. Chinchilla says he helps patients of all ages— from “’zero to 100 years old.” He sometimes talks to a patient and a doctor by phone. Mostly they meet face-to-face. He has to relay every single word the doctor and patient say in a conversation, even those rare times when a patient uses a curse word. The doctor must gather all the information and understand the feelings in order to help the patient, Mr. Chinchilla says. Edgar Chinchilla and Laura Romano Bridging languages for better health Imagine that you were sick and you needed to see a doctor, but you couldn’t say what bothered you because you didn’t know English. That’s a problem for many immigrants living in the United States. Fortunately, some can turn for help to a medical interpreter who speaks their language. The interpreter can translate to the doctor in English what is wrong, listen to what the doctor says, and then translate it to the patient in his or her own language. Edgar Chinchilla knows what it feels like to be unable to communicate. When he arrived in the United States from Guatemala, he did not speak English. After he made progress in the language, he volunteered as an interpreter at his church to assist other members of the congregation who spoke only Spanish. “My motive was to help 12