臺灣過去二十多年來，大量移入的外來人口使得臺灣呈現出比以往更多元文化、種族的面貌。然而這群說著不同語言、有著不同文化背景的新住民，長久以來對於就醫的通譯需求，一直未受到應有的重視，就醫語言障礙可能會影響相關醫療資訊的取得或健康照護利用困難。目前臺灣仍未有相關法規明文規範提供患者就醫所需的醫療通譯，且並非所有醫療機構都有提供通譯服務。有鑒於此，本研究透過半結構訪談，採訪大臺南地區某醫療體系的外籍病人。研究結果發現，外籍人士很少使用醫療通譯，主要是因為醫療通譯服務無法滿足病人即時性與方便性的需求，再加上宣導未達效果、政策法令限制以及醫療機構仍處於語言相對不友善的就醫環境，使得真正有通譯需求的新住民，在面臨語言溝通不良的困境時，溝通仍多仰賴會說雙語的臨時通譯員（ad hoc interpreters）。最後對多元族群多語系的通譯需求提出建議，期許政府、醫療機構、醫護人員與教育界等應重視多元族群就醫過程的通譯需求，並有效整合有限資源以利未來社區醫療通譯專業化發展。

Over the past twenty years, Taiwan has transformed itself into a multicultural and multiethnic society due to the increase in the number of new immigrants. However, when it comes to medical interpreting, little attention has been given to those who speak different languages and come from different cultures seeking medical care in Taiwan. Language barriers may affect their access to medical information and health care. Currently, Taiwan has few medical policies or laws concerning the provision of language translation and interpretation services. In addition, not all medical care providers offer interpreting services. For this reason, a semi-structured interview was conducted in this study. Foreign patients seeking medical treatment from a hospital in the vicinity of Tainan in southern Taiwan were selected and interviewed with a semi-constructed interview guideline. The results indicated that the use of professional interpreters are less employed by foreigners is associated with the following reasons: medical interpreting services cannot meet patients’ needs for immediacy and convenience, coupled with the ineffectiveness of publicity, the limitations in regulations and policies, and the condition that medical institutions are still in a relatively unfriendly linguistic environment, which makes the new immigrants’ communications largely relying on ad hoc interpreters in response to their interpreting needs. Finally, remedial suggestions are concluded, especially in regard to the interpreting needs of these multiethnic groups. It is hoped that the government, medical institutions, health professionals and the public will pay more attention to such issues and become more aware of the multilingual interpreting needs of these multiethnic groups seeking medical care, as well as to integrate all limited resources to strengthen the professionalization of community interpreting in medical settings in Taiwan.