The Case for Native-Like Foreign Language Proficiency: Quality and Accuracy of Medical Care

There are statistics showing how often medical communication falters when patients and providers don’t share high‑level language skills. But numbers alone don’t capture the human cost of misunderstanding. When my son was hospitalized at Boston Children’s, a nurse approached me: “They need help on the cancer ward,” she said. “A couple that speaks Russian and doesn’t understand the doctor.” I found…