How to Request and Use an Interpreter - A Lesson Plan for ELL Classrooms

Oct 15, 2026

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Not all non-native English speakers know they have a federal right to a Qualified Medical Interpreter (QMI) at no cost when seeking care at federally funded medical facilities such as Medicare and Medicaid. A lesson plan and video were developed for English Language Learning (ELL) programs to teach interpreter rights and practical use. The intervention was implemented, evaluated, and designed to support appropriate in-language communication, particularly during emergencies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Background and Need

Implementation and Evaluation

References and Support

ADULT LITERACY EDUCATION WINTER 2026 | [http://doi.org/10.35847/MOgrodnick.RCathey.JBunting.JParker.LRibas.CLukas.IFeinberg.8.1.23](http://doi.org/10.35847/MOgrodnick.RCathey.JBunting.JParker.LRibas.CLukas.IFeinberg.8.1.23) | | | --- | --- | | | Field Report | How to Request and Use an Interpreter: A Lesson Plan for ELL Classrooms Michelle Mavreles Ogrodnick1, Robin Cathey2, John Bunting2, Jennie Brown Parker3, Lucas de Bail Ribas2, Coco Lukas4, and Iris Feinberg1 1 Department of Learning Sciences, Georgia State University 2 Department of Applied Linguistics, Georgia State University 3 Lecturer, Georgia Technical University 4 Health Literacy Consultant, Roswell Author Note This project is supported by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $770,288. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OMH/OASH/HHS, ProLiteracy Worldwide, or the U.S. Government. Email: [Michelle Mavreles Ogrodnick: Mmavreles1@gsu.edu](Michelle Mavreles Ogrodnick: Mmavreles1@gsu.edu); Robin Cathey: [rcathey1@gsu.edu](rcathey1@gsu.edu); John [Bunting: jbunting@gsu.edu](Bunting: jbunting@gsu.edu); Jennie Brown Parker: [brown.jennie@gmail.com](brown.jennie@gmail.com); Lucas de Bail RibasRibas: [lribas1@gsu.edu](lribas1@gsu.edu); Coco Lukas: coco.l.lukas@ [gmail.com](gmail.com); and Iris Feinberg: [lfeinberg2@gsu.edu](lfeinberg2@gsu.edu) Abstract Not all non-native English speakers (NNES) know they have a federal right to a Qualified Medical Interpreter (QMI), at no cost, when seeking health care at a medical facility that accepts federal funds like Medicare and Medicaid. We developed a lesson plan and video on interpreter rights and use of an interpreter for English Language Learning (ELL) programs. Faculty of the Intensive English Program, along with grant researchers, created, implemented, and evaluated a mini lesson and video to address this critical language need related to accessing health care. The goal was to provide NNESat all English language proficiency levels with the tools they need to obtain appropriate in-language care through a QMI, especially in emergency situations. Keywords: English Language Learning programs, qualified medical interpreter, non-native English speakers, lesson plan Over 40 million U.S. adults speak a language other than English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022) . When seeking health care, non-native English speakers (NNES) often face miscommunication, misdiagnoses, treatment errors, and poor health outcomes because they do not speak the same language as their health care providers (Al Shamsiet al., 2020) . Health care facilities that receive federal funds (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid) are legally responsible for taking appropriate and reasonable steps to ensure their patients have a qualified medical interpreter (QMI)(National Health Law Program, n.d.) . However, QMIs are not always available or used by health care facilities. Sometimes patients bring informal interpreters with them (e.g., a family member or neighbor) and decline a QMI, orthe health care facility has no access to QMIs and uses an informal interpreter (Zendedel et al., 2016). Using a QMI [Correspondence: mmavreles1@gsu.edu](Correspondence: mmavreles1@gsu.edu) 23 to facilitate communication between health care providers and patients is the gold standard; when a QMI is used, NNES report better satisfaction, more appropriate use of health care services, and better clinical outcomes (Heath et al., 2023) . Research shows that NNES experience overall better health outcomes when they can communicate in their first language when interacting with health care providers (Diamond et al., 2019) . Almost 40% of the 1.1 million adults enrolled in federally funded adult education programs in the 2022–2023 program year were enrolled in English Language Learning (ELL) Programs (National

FAQs

Who is the lesson plan intended for?

The lesson plan targets non-native English speakers enrolled in English Language Learning (ELL) programs, across different English proficiency levels.

What federal right does the document focus on?

It focuses on the federal right to receive a Qualified Medical Interpreter (QMI) at no cost when seeking health care at facilities that accept federal funds like Medicare and Medicaid.

How are interpreter rights and use taught?

The project developed and used a mini lesson and a video, and also created additional lessons within a broader 10-lesson health care lesson plan to build knowledge and practical skills.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Patrick