Geo-political conflicts- whether they occur thousands of miles away or in your home country- cause multiple ripple effects around the world. When events like the Ukrainian- Russian conflict force people to flee from their homes, a demand for certain skills increases exponentially. Crises such as these require the help of bilingual individuals who can deliver care, information and assist in relocating somewhere else. Ukrainian medical interpreting in the United States is especially critical because displaced people are arriving in need of medical assistance, where an estimated 54% are Limited English Proficient (LEP)- meaning they cannot communicate well or at all with English speaking doctors. Of the 6 million internationally displaced Ukrainian civilians, the United States has promised resettlement protection to as many as 100,000 since February 2022, and resettled 15,000 so far. Joining the 1.1 million Ukrainian-Americans- accounting for 1% of the 44.9 million immigrant community- makes the U.S home to the second largest population of Ukrainian immigrants in the world, second only to Russia. Today, most Ukrainian-born U.S citizens became naturalized and gained legal permanent residence status after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Nearly half of whom made homes within the major cities located in New York, Illionis, Washington and California. But why is it critical for English speaking Ukrainians to become medical interpreters vs any other kind of interpreting?
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