During the Coronavirus crisis MGH Interpreter services are being delivered over the phone.  Only in the case of an extreme emergency will an in-person interpreter be sent to see a patient and provider.

MGH Staff Requests (internal access)

Always schedule a medical interpreter as far in advance as possible (at least 24-48 hours in advance) for encounters such as:

  • Medical or therapeutic appointments
  • Procedures and tests
  • Informed consent
  • Medication reconciliation
  • Discharge instructions/planning
  • Inpatient consults
  • Family meetings

For unforeseen medical interpreter needs, including Emergency Department visits, during office hours, call 617-726-6966 or page 27403 (see Contact Us). Off hours and holidays, page the language specific beepers for a face-to-face interpreter, or use your language access device (IPOPs, VPOPs, dual handset phones and VRIs) to access a remote medical interpreter.

Medical interpreters will be assigned as needed, after confirmation that the patient has arrived and the provider is ready to see him/her.

Languages available on site

Requesting a Medical Interpreter - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Languages

Coverage

Spanish

Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saurday and Sunday, 8:00 am - 6:30 pm

Arabic

Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 5:30 pm

American Sign Language (ASL)

Monday through Friday, 8:15 am - 4:45 pm

Chinese (Cantonese,Mandarin)

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm

French

Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 6:30 pm

French Creole

Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Sunday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Italian

Monday through Thursday 7:30 am - 6:00 pm
Friday 7:30 am to 1:00 pm

Khmer (Cambodian)

Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

Portuguese

Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 6:30 pm

Russian

Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Additional languages

Served by a pool of freelance medical interpreters who are off-site

Amharic

Punjabi

Bengali

Somali

Burmese

Tibetan

Greek

Toisanese

Gujarati

Turkish

Hindi

Ukrainian

Japanese

Urdu

Nepali

  

Mass General Hospital's Nondiscrimination Statement

Your right to a medical interpreter (PDF)

Remote interpreters are also available 24/7 in over 200 languages by telephone or video (VRI for ASL).