AI and Interpreter Access in Healthcare: Research Signals Need for Change

Two recent studies are shining a spotlight on how language access in healthcare must evolve. A new PhD project launched by RMIT University and Northern Health will investigate how AI-assisted language tools could support communication in urgent care. At the same time, research from Macquarie University underscores an ongoing challenge: clinicians are still underusing professional interpreters, leaving culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients at risk of misdiagnosis and inadequate care.

Together, the findings point to a clear imperative: bridging gaps in healthcare communication will require both innovation and education.

New Frontiers: AI in Emergency Care

Launched in July 2025, the three-year PhD project (2026-28) represents one of the most targeted explorations of AI’s role in clinical communication to date. Partnering with Victoria’s busiest emergency departments and virtual ED services, researchers will evaluate the potential of real-time translation apps and other AI tools in high-pressure medical settings.

The research aims to answer critical questions: Can AI solutions provide timely support when professional interpreters are not immediately available? How do clinicians, patients, and interpreters perceive these tools? And most importantly, can they be deployed safely and equitably without compromising patient outcomes?

Northern Health, which services some of Melbourne’s most linguistically diverse communities, provides an ideal environment for testing these questions. Emergency wards are high-stakes spaces where communication delays can cost lives. By trialling AI support under controlled conditions, the project hopes to outline where such tools can complement, rather than compete with, human interpreters.

The results could influence not only hospital policy but also national debates on digital health, accessibility, and interpreter workforce planning.

Persistent Gaps: The "Monolingual Mindset"

While AI offers new possibilities, Macquarie University’s latest research highlights a more entrenched problem. In a July 2025 study, Dr. Jinhyun Cho found that many Australian clinicians continue to undervalue or overlook professional interpreters. Interviews with healthcare interpreters revealed that staff often rely on bilingual receptionists, untrained volunteers, or even patients’ family members to translate.

This "monolingual mindset" assumes that English proficiency is the default and that ad hoc solutions are "good enough." Yet such practices carry real risks. Medical terminology, cultural nuance, and sensitive discussions require professional expertise. In mental health, for instance, expressions of trauma or depression may be coded in euphemistic or culturally specific language. Without a qualified interpreter, critical information can be lost, and the consequences are significant: diminished trust, poorer patient outcomes, and preventable harm.

Equitable care starts with professional language access. Dr. Cho’s findings reinforce the urgent need for comprehensive education, empowering healthcare professionals to recognise both the ethical imperative and the practical value of engaging professional interpreters. True inclusion in healthcare is never “good enough”; it must be high quality, reliable, and worthy of the communities we serve.

Toward Equity and Safety

Language access in healthcare isn’t just a checkbox; it’s a vital measure of equity and quality. Every patient, regardless of English proficiency, deserves access to the same standard of care. Yet as these studies reveal, systemic underuse of professional interpreters continues to pose significant risks, from misdiagnosis and lost trust to preventable harm.

While AI has the potential to provide interim support in critical situations, no technology can replace the cultural sensitivity, accuracy, and ethical responsibility delivered by certified interpreters. True multilingual care means seeing technology not as a substitute, but as a partner in an integrated ecosystem, one that puts people first and ensures all voices are heard.

As AI tools are trialled and integrated, it’s essential to ask the right questions: Who is accountable when a machine gets it wrong? How do we safeguard privacy and clinical outcomes in a digital age? The Hello Co. advocates for clear governance, transparent evaluation, and policies that always foreground human expertise, and the RMIT-Northern Health project will provide critical data to guide these conversations.

By setting high standards and fostering collaboration between interpreters, clinicians, and technology leaders, Australia has the opportunity to build a model of language-inclusive care, one where equitable communication is the expectation, not the exception.

Building a Future-Ready System

• Invest in the interpreter workforce: Strengthen training pipelines, expand incentives for NAATI certification, and ensure interpreters are embedded in clinical workflows.
• Educate clinicians: Make interpreter use a standard part of medical education, reinforcing that professional interpreters are not optional extras but essential for patient safety.
• Trial technology responsibly: Evaluate AI tools transparently, ensuring they are used to supplement, not supplant, human expertise.

This balanced approach will be vital as healthcare systems confront rising linguistic diversity, staff shortages, and increasing patient loads.

Australia’s Opportunity

Australia is primed to set the global standard for language access in healthcare. With a highly skilled network of NAATI-certified interpreters fluent in 178 languages (including many Indigenous languages) and some of the world’s most innovative research institutions, we have the expertise and capacity to lead the way in multilingual care.

The real opportunity lies in bringing policy, training, and technology together, uniting cutting-edge AI with human insight and empathy. By building on this foundation, Australia can redefine healthcare accessibility and become an international benchmark for equitable, culturally responsive communication in every clinical setting.

Towards Inclusive and Trusted Care

At The Hello Co., we believe access to healthcare begins with access to understanding. Every word exchanged in an emergency ward, every conversation about mental health, carries weight beyond translation: it carries trust, dignity, and life itself.

As research into AI-assisted tools continues, and as awareness grows about the critical role of professional interpreters, we are committed to ensuring that technology supports, rather than substitutes, human expertise. By combining innovation with compassion, Australia can build a healthcare system where no patient is left unheard and where communication is always a bridge to better care.