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?

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

I NEED to learn Spanish & I would LOVE to learn Sign Language.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Practical people do.

What's practical is wanting to communicate with one's patients. And other than English, most people in the US speak Spanish in the home. There's also such a thing called patient-centered care. And, well, Medicaid and Medicare IS where the business and money are.

And no, I disagree that practical people care only about business and money. What a sad way of looking at life.

[LongislandRN23]

Obviously speaking spanish would be very valuable. I speak a decent amount of Hebrew as a second language but would love to be able to speak French and Arabic fluently because they sound nice

[HappyPepper]

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

I think you misunderstood. I should've been more explicit in my phrasing. The question should've been, "What languages do you wish you knew so that your nursing job would be easier in providing patient care?"

In my unit, we get as many Farsi-speaking patients as Spanish-speaking patients at times. It is possible that I feel like there are so many because Farsi-speaking patients almost always include huge family gathering!

I should've included ASL in the poll. I only had one patient who needed ASL interpreter. It was quite frustrating on everyone until the powers that be provided us with an interpreter at the bedside 24/7. Now it's supposed to be better since we newly acquired MARTI. Anyone has experience with MARTI? I haven't had the chance to use it yet.

[HappyPepper]

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!

Is that MARTI?

[Dranger]

Ok then Farsi because it's rarer and useful in other areas of work besides nursing.

[Dranger]

What's practical is wanting to communicate with one's patients. And other than English, most people in the US speak Spanish in the home. There's also such a thing called patient-centered care. And, well, Medicaid and Medicare IS where the business and money are.

And no, I disagree that practical people care only about business and money. What a sad way of looking at life.

Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself lol?

[amoLucia]

1 - Spanish & ASL because of the necessity of them for work, but also for general socializing.

2 - Polish & Italian because needed but not as critically as #1

3 -Filipino because I want to know what my co-staff are whispering among themselves. I do have a touch of paranoia.

4 - Japanese because I think it's a beautiful language.

5 - Hungarian because it was the language of my maternal grandparents. As little kids, my sister & I could say 'thank you', 'goodby'

count to 10. My grands were so tickled, but it would have been so much more significant if we could say like "the soup taste good' or 'the roses smelled pretty'. Just a few more words for real simple stuff.

[workingharder]

Romulan.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself lol?

LOL? I'm not trying to *convince* anyone of anything. I'm simply having a conversation.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

Firstly, Spanish and ASL. I have a great many Spanish-only speaking patients as well as deaf patients. The interpreter service works well, but it would save me a little time if I could just bypass the middle man, lol.

Also Vietnamese. I have a lot of Vietnamese patients too.

But Spanish is by far the most practical. I understand a great deal of Spanish if the speaker is not Puerto Rican (they speak waaaay too fast), but I can't speak it well enough to articulate my questions or to give medical instruction.

It's OK that I won't get rich simply by speaking better Spanish, lol. What a shallow remark.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Romulan.

Klingon