Bilingual staff act as interpreters in healthcare systems and federally funded programs all the time. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it solves an operational problem for organizations without investing in new personnel or resources.

Here’s where that solution becomes a problem. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act defines what a qualified interpreter is in federal regulation, and that definition is more specific than the ability to speak two languages. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 doesn’t provide the same definition, but it still requires organizations to demonstrate that whoever is interpreting is qualified to do so. Either way, the requirements are defined by law and they’re learned through professional interpreter training, not by being bilingual.

Language access programs are built to ensure individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) have meaningful, fair, and equitable access to services, programs, and information in their language. Whether an interpreter meets the federal qualification standard is a separate question, and it’s one compliance teams encounter when they sit down to document that their program meets the applicable federal requirements.

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