Interpreter Services & Communication Assistance | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js" lang="en">  <head> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=/assets/ucsf/main.css?v=40182074ecb56dad04debd94fedfc468 /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=/assets/bch/main.css?v=754aa12d0b3de52563c5716af1d66516 />  <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/consent/69de606f-159b-41ad-82da-d7a76950873b/OtAutoBlock.js" ></script> <script src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" data-domain-script="69de606f-159b-41ad-82da-d7a76950873b" ></script> <script type="text/javascript"> function OptanonWrapper() { } </script> <script type="text/javascript"> function OptanonWrapper() { // Check if banner div is available if (document.getElementById('onetrust-banner-sdk')) { // Get the buttons and container var acceptBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-accept-btn-handler"); var declineBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-reject-all-handler"); var cookieSettingsBtn = document.getElementById("onetrust-pc-btn-handler"); var btnContainer = document.getElementById("onetrust-button-group"); // Set the order you want below... btnContainer.append(acceptBtn, cookieSettingsBtn, declineBtn) } } </script>   <script src="https://datalayer.ucsfhealth.org/ucsf-data-layer.js" defer></script>  <script src="https://datalayer.ucsfhealth.org/ucsfbenioffchildrens-marketing-data-layer.js" defer></script>  <script type="text/plain" class="optanon-category-C0007" src="https://assets.adobedtm.com/db5f13cb240b/b1130ce1ceae/launch-db8f55f3e131.min.js" defer></script> <title>Interpreter Services & Communication Assistance | UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals</title> <link href="/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/header/favicon-32x32.png?rev=7da17355eec44d65b26747967816d41b" rel="shortcut icon" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/services/interpreter-services-and-communication-assistance" /> <meta content="Your Visit" name="mainNavName" /> <meta content="false" name="includeBackgroundCircles" /> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="1162986667203299" /><meta property="og:description" content="Interpreter services in many languages and TDDs are available for families that need help communicating with care teams. 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Here's how to access them.","image":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/service/hero/interpreter-services-and-communication-assistance-2x.jpg?rev=8dec0cd4e0d141df931ac7a1596b6718","url":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/services/interpreter-services-and-communication-assistance","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UCSF Health"},"dateCreated":"2024-08-16T19:16:25+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-08T05:12:37+00:00","headline":"Interpreters","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UCSF Health","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-health/ezgifcom-gif-maker.png?rev=b49aee14cf934fb086632358c341cf97"}},"articleBody":"Clear communication is essential to providing the best health care, which is our mission at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. If you or your child has limited English proficiency, or if one of you is speech or hearing impaired, you can use our interpreting services. These free services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 200 languages and dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian and American Sign Language.\nInterpreting and translation services are available for face-to-face interactions, telephone calls and written materials. We work hard to be sensitive to the diverse cultural needs of our community, and our interpreter professionals are trained to understand and respect how various cultural beliefs may affect communication and compliance with medical treatments.\nYou may request these services at any time during your child's stay with us or when visiting one out of our clinics. To make the transfer and admission process easier, you may want to request an interpreter before coming to the hospital.\nHow to access interpreter services\nSan Francisco campus \nAsk your doctor or nurse to contact us, and an interpreter will be provided at no cost to you. You can also reach us directly by calling (415) 353-2690.\nOakland campus \nCall our office on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Call (510) 428-3885, and use extension 5292.\nSpecial needs\nIf you or your child is hearing impaired, pay phone TTYs (teletypewriters) – also known as TDDs (telecommunications devices for the deaf) – are available throughout UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. We also provide bedside TTYs, phone amplifiers and pocket talkers for patients. Hospital operators are available 24 hours a day by TTY. In San Francisco, call the TTY operator at (415) 885-3TTY. In Oakland, call the operator and ask for a TTY, or dial 711 from any hospital phone.\nAt the San Francisco campus, audiobooks are provided by Volunteer Services for visually impaired patients in the hospital. 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container clinic-share"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="share-component"> <a aria-label="Print Page" href="#" rel="nofollow" class="icon-ui-print" title="Print"></a> <a aria-label="Share Page" data-email-body="Thought you might want to see this:" class="icon-ui-share" data-email-body="Thought you might want to see this:" data-email-subject="Take a look at this link from UCSF"></a> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </div> </div><div class="component article-intro column-layout col-2-66-33 container"> <div class="component-content col-2-80-20"> <div class="article-content left-col"> <div class="font-larger article-text rich-text"> <p>Clear communication is essential to providing the best health care, which is our mission at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. If you or your child has limited English proficiency, or if one of you is speech or hearing impaired, you can use our interpreting services. These free services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 200 languages and dialects, including Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Russian and American Sign Language.</p> <p>Interpreting and translation services are available for face-to-face interactions, telephone calls and written materials. We work hard to be sensitive to the diverse cultural needs of our community, and our interpreter professionals are trained to understand and respect how various cultural beliefs may affect communication and compliance with medical treatments.</p> <p>You may request these services at any time during your child's stay with us or when visiting one out of our clinics. To make the transfer and admission process easier, you may want to request an interpreter before coming to the hospital.</p> <h2>How to access interpreter services</h2> <h3>San Francisco campus </h3> <p>Ask your doctor or nurse to contact us, and an interpreter will be provided at no cost to you. You can also reach us directly by calling (415) 353-2690.</p> <h3>Oakland campus </h3> <p>Call our office on a weekday between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Call (510) 428-3885, and use extension 5292.</p> <h2>Special needs</h2> <p>If you or your child is hearing impaired, pay phone TTYs (teletypewriters) – also known as TDDs (<a>telecommunications </a>devices for the deaf) – are available throughout UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. We also provide bedside TTYs, phone amplifiers and pocket talkers for patients. Hospital operators are available 24 hours a day by TTY. In San Francisco, call the TTY operator at (415) 885-3TTY. In Oakland, call the operator and ask for a TTY, or dial 711 from any hospital phone.</p> <p>At the San Francisco campus, audiobooks are provided by Volunteer Services for visually impaired patients in the hospital. Call (415) 353-1196.</p> </div> </div> <div class="article-info right-col"> </div> </div> </div> <div class="component content container"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="page-content"><div class="component patient-services cards-component col-xs-12"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="patient-services-header"> <h2 class="heading1 title-anchor"> Support services </h2> <div class="view-all"> </div> </div> <div class="cards"> <div class="card"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="card-content"> <a href="/services/child-life" class="phantom-link" title="Child Life"></a> <img loading="lazy" src="/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/service/hero/child-life-hero-2x-v1.jpg?h=376&w=973&rev=2b62da174c47471ab37503a4aee376d7&hash=D2BEBDE74B2CDE51B159EFF3E08A4132" alt="" width="2880" height="1112" /> <div class="field-icon"> <div class="eyebrow"> </div> </div> <p class="font-larger"> Child Life </p> <p> Certified child life specialists ease the stress and anxiety of childhood illness through therapeutic play, schooling and family-focused support. </p> <span class="field-read-more-link"><span class="include-ucsf-arrow"></span></span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="card"> <div class="component-content"> <div class="card-content"> <a href="/services/international-services" class="phantom-link" title="International Services"></a> <img loading="lazy" src="/-/media/project/ucsf/ucsf-bch/images/service/hero/international-services-2x.jpg?h=376&w=973&rev=a295537e635e4e4983a2955c6221f5be&hash=6AA251AB263516FECDE335D7C1DA2A84" alt="international-services-2x" width="2880" height="1112" /> <div class="field-icon"> <div class="eyebrow"> </div> </div> <p class="font-larger"> International Services </p> <p> If you're coming to UCSF from outside the U.S., we coordinate your child's appointments and provide other helpful services. 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