If you could be instantly multilingual...

[HappyPepper]

which languages would make your job easier?

At the moment, I really wish I knew Farsi. Spanish is perpetually on my wish list but I could never keep the motivation to really learn it. What about you guys?

Also, how do you like your interpreter services?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I would choose Spanish and ASL (American Sign Language) - yes, it's a foreign language.

My large, tertiary care hospital has Spanish language translators in-house 24/7. We have an Arabic translator on call, and language line and various other on-call persons available.

The children's hospital side where I am (PICU) does a substantial amount of charity cardiac and neuro surgery. Both Catholic Charities and Samaritan's Purse send us children from around the world for life-saving heart and brain surgery. I have cared for children from Mongolia, Uganda, Bolivia, Myanmar, Kenya and other places. They always bring two children over at a time, and a translator accompanies them. The children stay in adjoining rooms throughout their stay (their mothers also come with) so the translator is readily available. They all wear matching t-shirts we provide so that cafeteria workers and others know who they are and that they have unique needs.

Our kids from Uganda had never seen a toilet until they got to the airport in Kampala to fly over here!

The Mongolian boy I cared for never seemed to need any pain med. He had a VSD repair, and even the night after surgery seemed just very happy and comfortable. In the morning, I found out why. Mom fed him an entire 1# bag of Hershey's kisses throughout the night! Someone gave it to her- didn't explain it was for Mom- so she 'dosed him all night! Didn't seem to hurt, and he WAS unusually happy.....

Here's some of the work we do:

(have tissue ready, you'll cry.)

[Dranger]

Chinese, Spanish isn't a language of business or money.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

French Creole. It's probably the language we see most after Spanish (which I already speak fluently).

Sent from my Samsung Droid Charge using allnurses.com

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I speak both English and Spanish, but would like to learn Russian as we have a fairly high number of immigrants from that part of the world. Also Farsi, just because.

[Lennonninja, MSN, APRN, NP]

I already speak Spanish, but for my job I wish that I also knew Burmese Chin. Thank goodness for the portable translator skype-like machine!

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Spanish or ASL.

[Caribbean Character]

Chinese, Spanish isn't a language of business or money.

Yeah because nurses care only about business and money.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

Hmm...Spanish-can understand and read it, just REALLY rusty on speaking it-and it depends on the country too; one time my Spanish and accent was soo excellent my Mexican pt thought I was from Mexico. :) I still can make myself understood; it just not up to the conversational level anymore.

I also would like to learn Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Russian, French and French Creole.

I'll probably make it one of my goals to go through the Rosetta Stone, series, as well as sign up for local ASL classes.

[heron, ASN, RN]

Spanish, Navajo, any or all of the Pueblo languages (I'm in New Mexico).

[Dranger]

Yeah because nurses care only about business and money.

Practical people do.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I voted Spanish and Russian, because of our patient population, but I would also vote Hmong.

I can speak some Spanish, but I really want to be totally fluent. Where I live and where I work, there is a very high Spanish-speaking population. My dream is to take a month off work and do a combination Medical Spanish immersion program/medical mission program in Central America.