“Ich verstehe es nicht”: the necessity of integrating professional interpretation into the German healthcare system

The migrant and refugee population in Germany continued to grow over the past few years, reaching a record high in 2024. As the second top destination, just after the United States, Germany has yet to incorporate professional interpretation into its healthcare system to overcome language barriers. While community integration is important for migrants to find a sense of belonging, communicating critical and even urgent information regarding one's health in an unfamiliar language can have dire consequences. Under the International Human Rights Law, the government has an obligation to provide rights to healthcare for everyone living in the region. However, without an explicitly stated law that obligates the use of professional interpretation services, patients may experience more medical errors while providers and interpreters face additional work burden. Thus, we urge for the legal and structural integration of professional interpretation in healthcare, funded by the state or by health insurances.