Living in a different country is a big challenge for many foreigners. Especially, for people coming from western countries, the Japanese language and cultural barrier is difficult. Japan is a wonderful country to work, study, and to find many great friends. Nevertheless, learning the language and the culture is a time-consuming process. That process can be fun and exciting, but sometimes even the most motivated language learning faces numerous issues.

Today I want to talk about the importance of medical interpretation in Japan. Let's use the example of having a cold in Japan. Many people don't like to visit a doctor. When you have a cold, all you want to do is sleep and take light medicine, rest and recover. In a foreign country that means you either: a) contact a Japanese friend to help you or b) just do it by yourself. Without speaking Japanese, doing such chores presents a huge challenge. The ability to speak a foreign language depends on your mental and physical ability as well. That means if you sick the last thing you want to do is try to use your broken Japanese. Let's be honest: You just want to sleep and recover.

There is not only plan A or plan B. Why don't you consider contacting an Interpreter to help? You can find great interpreters online or by contacting an interpretation agency.

In most cases, you find an interpreter fast by telling them the hospital you want to visit (Location), a brief overview of your situation (Content) and what time you want to visit the hospital (Time). You will be surprised how fast you can find somebody, who will help you to get you the right medicine and help you talk to the doctor in Japanese. In my experience, many doctors in Japan are highly skilled, so if you just get rid of the language barrier you will feel great in no time.

Do you feel nervous when visiting a doctor in Japan? Tell me your story!