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Linguistic & Cultural Services
Description of Services
The Linguistic & Cultural Services department was created in September 1996 to meet the growing needs of our ethnically diverse and multilingual member population. We provide language services to facilitate cultural and linguistic communication between limited or non-English proficient patients and their health care providers. Twice a year, we also publish bilingual newsletters in Chinese and Spanish versions for Chinese-speaking and Spanish-speaking members in San Francisco.
The department provides language services in three areas:
- On-Site Interpretation
- Chinese Interpreter Call Center
- Translation
On-Site Interpretation
We provide on-site interpreting service to limited and non-English proficient members at our San Francisco Medical Center.
On our staff, we have a team of certified health care interpreters in these languages and dialects:
- Chinese dialects: Cantonese Chiuchow, Hakka, Mandarin, Shanghainese, and Toishanese
- Spanish
- Cambodian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Laotian
- Russian
- Thai
- Vietnamese
Interpreting services for other languages and dialects (including American Sign Language) are provided by contracted interpreter services.
Please contact any of the staff members at our San Francisco Medical Center for requests of interpreting services.
Mailing Address:
Kaiser Permanente
Multicultural Services
2350 Geary, 1st Floor
San Francisco, CA 94115
Hours:
24 hours/7 days a week
Chinese Interpreter Call Center
The Chinese Interpreter Call Center provides over-the-phone interpreting service to Chinese-speaking members of Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Members can call us directly when they need interpreting service. The Chinese dialects available with our trained and certified health care interpreters are Cantonese, Mandarin, Toishanese, Hakka, Chiuchow, and Shanghainese.
When members call, they are greeted in their preferred language by one of our interpreters. The interpreter finds out the reason for the member’s call and connects him or her with the Appointment and Advice Call Center (AACC) to schedule an appointment in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, obtain medical advice, or send messages to their health care provider. The interpreter remains on the line, interpreting for the member and the AACC health care contact specialist and/or an advice nurse.
Hours:
Monday-Friday: 7:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Sundays and Legal Holidays: Closed
Local Number: (415) 833-2239
Toll Free Number: 1-877-393-2332 (serving members in the Northern California region)
Translation We have professional in-house Chinese and Spanish translators, but we also handle translation services for other languages.
To learn more about us, download the Interpreter Services brochure.
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