[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, led by hospital director Lee Dong-jin, said on the 7th that it had completed the 2026 11th Medical Interpreter (Vento) Training Program, run as part of Seoul Metropolitan Government’s health care support project for immigrant women, and graduated eight medical interpreters.
Vento is a blend of "volunteer" and "mentor." It refers to medical interpreters who provide language assistance and emotional support so that multicultural families and foreign residents using the hospital do not face difficulties in treatment because of language barriers.
Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital has been the only medical institution in South Korea to operate a medical interpreter training program since 2015, and it has produced a total of 132 medical interpreters to date.
This year’s training course ran for four days from July 2 to 7. On July 2, sessions covered common illnesses among Koreans, led by Professor Noh Yong-kyun of Family Medicine; understanding the childbirth process, led by Lee Young-ja, UM of Internal Medicine; and understanding the hospital, including how to use hospital services, payment and certificate issuance, and a hospital tour, led by Yeon Su-il, UM of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. On July 3, the program included a congratulatory address by hospital director Lee Dong-jin, followed by an introduction to Seoul Metropolitan Government’s health care support project for immigrant women and the concept and role of Vento, led by social worker Park Sun-hwa of the Social Work Team; understanding gynecological diseases, led by Professor Jung Soo-young of Obstetrics and Gynecology; and understanding mentoring activities, led by social worker Baek Jeong-yeon of the Social Work Team. On July 6, the sessions covered understanding myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease, led by Professor Cho Jeong-rae of Cardiology and chair of the International Medical Services Committee; and understanding medical interpretation, led by Professor Kim Najesda of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS). On July 7, the program included understanding medical records and medical terminology in hospitals, led by Team Leader Choi Yong-jin of the Medical Records Team; understanding clinical departments, led by Yoo Hye-kyung, UM of Ward 108; and hands-on training on how to use the medical interpreter reservation app, hallymvento, led by social worker Park Sun-hwa.
The medical interpreters who completed the program accompany patients during outpatient visits and provide interpretation support throughout the entire care process, including registration, treatment, tests, admission, and discharge. Beyond simple language interpretation, they also help explain medical information in an easy-to-understand way and serve as mentors by offering psychological and emotional support based on their own experiences as married immigrant women.
With support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the hospital’s Social Work Team has developed and operates the medical interpreter reservation app, hallymvento. Patients can request interpretation through the app, and Vento provides one-on-one medical interpretation services according to the treatment schedule.
Yeongdeungpo-gu, Guro District, Geumcheon-gu, and Gwanak District, where the hospital is located, are among Seoul’s most multicultural areas. About 175,000 members of multicultural households live in these five districts. For married immigrant women and foreign residents who struggle to access medical services because of language barriers, medical interpretation has become an essential support system for safe diagnosis and treatment.
Hospital director Lee Dong-jin said, "Medical interpreters play a vital bridge role between patients and medical staff, so accurate communication and trust are more important than anything else." He added, "We hope the Vento graduates from this program will grow into professional and responsible medical interpreters and play a major role in helping multicultural families use medical services with confidence."
Meanwhile, Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital is the only medical institution in South Korea to have operated a multicultural family support project with the Seoul Metropolitan Government since 2013. Through a range of tailored programs, including training medical interpreters and developing the hallymvento reservation app, building a multilingual website, producing informational videos, providing multilingual medical guides, running childbirth classes, offering health checkups for married immigrant women, and delivering psychological and emotional support, the hospital is helping improve access to health care for multicultural families in local communities.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
