PD | Can Language Mistakes Kill Patients? Dr. Nelva Lee on Medical Interpreting, Leadership and AI
In this episode of the Localization Fireside Chat, Robin Ayoub speaks with Dr. Nelva Lee, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of MiTio and a national pioneer in medical interpreting certification. Dr. Lee shares how language access directly impacts patient safety, why professional medical interpreters are essential in healthcare, and how poor communication can lead to misdiagnosis, higher costs, and serious legal and ethical risks. The conversation also explores leadership, equity, and the future of AI in medical interpreting, offering a rare look at how technology must be guided by human expertise in high stakes environments. 🎥 Watch the full video episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/808bgKP1oFY
Localization Fireside Chat · Dr Nelva Lee
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (injector.simplecastaudio.com) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
Dr. Nelva Lee’s journey from Panama to becoming a leading voice in medical interpreting is a story of resilience, leadership, and purpose. As the CEO and Founder of MiTio, she helped shape national certification standards for medical interpreters and continues to advocate for language access as a core component of quality healthcare.
In this episode, Dr. Lee explains why even patients who speak some English may not fully understand medical terminology, how hospitals expose themselves to risk when they rely on untrained interpreters, and why language access should be treated as a safety requirement rather than a cost center.
Robin and Dr. Lee also discuss the promise and limits of AI in healthcare communication, and why human expertise and cultural understanding remain essential in life and death situations.
🎥 Watch the full video episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/808bgKP1oFY
Credits
Host: Robin Ayoub, Founder, Localization Fireside Chat
Connect and watch more
Website: www.L10NFiresideChat.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OoURgc29R31XPGzOWL9iX
Be a guest: https://calendly.com/robin-ayoub/localization-fireside-chat-podcast-recording
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinayoub/
Support the show
Share the episode with a friend. Subscribe on YouTube and Spotify. Leave a short review.
Disclaimer
Views are for education and discussion. Apply judgment in your own context.
Tags
#L10NFiresideChat #localization #hiring #recruiting #leadership #ai
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.