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I'm travelling to Uruguay - the main language is Spanish.

I'm planning on taking a physical copy of my medical records with me, in the event of an emergency. (These records can be obtained through my insurance, I'm sure, or I could have them faxed internationally, but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry!)

These records are in English. Questions:

  1. Will I run into any problems with English medical records in a Spanish-speaking country?
  2. Are there any ways to mitigate this - medical records translation services that will provide a physical copy, or anything?

(NOTE: My travel insurance has a hotline for language situations, but translating medical records over the phone doesn't seem advisable.)

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  • I thought all medical records are in Latin worldwide?
    – Danubian Sailor
    Jul 31, 2013 at 5:12
  • @ŁukaszLech I never thought of that - they might be. I don't really know anything about the medical field, though. This isn't just a Spanish question, but more of a general question - should records be translated to your destination language.
    – user7642
    Aug 3, 2013 at 17:37

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You'll find that Uruguay is quite modern so you'll have a very high chance of finding an English speaker at most hospitals. Still, it's great that you want to be prepared so I'm sure having a certified translation of your papers won't hurt either. I'm pretty sure you'll be fine with just your English papers though.

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    I'm Uruguayan and I can vouch for everything @Michael states here :) Most educated people have a basic notion of english here. However, I wouldn't expect much technical knowledge in English from doctors. Having your records translated (maybe not even professionally) would be of great help.
    – Ignacio
    Jul 31, 2013 at 20:33

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