Translation Services in Hospitals: Migrants’ Rights

In the German healthcare system, interpreting services in hospitals are an important right for migrants and refugees – but this right is not always formally guaranteed in every situation. Here is a comprehensive overview of the legal and practical situation and what you can reasonably ask for:

Do migrant patients have a right to an interpreter in hospital?

In principle: yes – but under conditions

• Every patient in Germany has the right to understand the nature of their illness and the proposed treatment clearly and comprehensibly (Section 630e BGB).

• If language barriers prevent the necessary medical understanding, the doctor must provide an appropriate way to explain the situation.

But:

• There is no general legal obligation for hospitals to provide a professional interpreter free of charge for every patient.

• Interpreting is often treated as an “extra service” that is not always covered by the statutory health insurance (GKV).

What options exist in practice?

In-house language mediators (Sprachmittler):

• Some large or university hospitals employ staff who speak several languages.

• This service is often free of charge if available.

Professional interpreters (Dolmetscher):

• They can be called in from outside, but the costs usually fall on the hospital or the patient – except in acute medical emergencies.

Family members or friends:

• Are often used as informal interpreters, especially in simple situations.

• Children should not be used as interpreters in medical matters if it can be avoided.

Telephone or video interpreting:

• Some hospitals offer digital interpreting services (e.g. “Triaphon”).

• This is often the fastest and easiest solution in emergencies or where interpreters are scarce.

Who pays the costs?

Situation

Who pays?

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Emergency treatment or surgery

Hospital or health insurance

Routine care or check-ups

Usually the patient – or no interpreting service is provided

Asylum procedure (Asylverfahren)

Immigration office or relevant federal state authority

Psychotherapy for migrants

In some cases, costs can be covered via special support programmes

Practical recommendations for migrants

• Ask for an interpreter already when registering (Anmeldung) at the hospital.

• Make it clear that your German is not sufficient to understand medical information safely.

• Ask whether there is an interpreter available among the staff, or via phone/video.

• If no service is provided, ask for a later appointment with an interpreter or bring a trusted person with you.

Your rights as a non-German-speaking patient

• No treatment may be carried out without a clear explanation and your informed consent.

• You have the right to request that treatment information be explained in your own language or in a language you understand well.

• If a medical error occurs because of a lack of language understanding, the hospital may be held legally liable.

Helpful initiatives

• “Triaphon”: an emergency network for free telephone interpreting in Arabic and other languages.

• Medi interpreter pools: available in some federal states (e.g. Berlin, Hamburg).

• Refugee counselling centres: can help arrange accompanying interpreters if needed.

The editorial team of this website makes every effort to provide accurate information based on careful research and consultation of multiple sources. Nevertheless, errors or incomplete information may occur, or certain details may not yet be fully confirmed. The information in this article should therefore be regarded as an initial point of reference. For binding and officially reliable information, please always contact the relevant authorities, insurers and professional bodies.