---
title: "\"Intoxicado\" : What Can Happen with the Misinterpretation of a Single Word — #1 Medical Spanish eLearning | Canopy Innovations"
description: "The tragic case of Willie Ramirez regarding the mistranslation of a single word -- \"intoxicado\" -- should serve to fuel action to change the landscape of language services. "
image: https://blog.withcanopy.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Intoxicado_001.png
---
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# "Intoxicado" : What Can Happen with the Misinterpretation of a Single Word
Posted by [Anny Zhang](https://blog.withcanopy.com/author/anny-zhang) on Sep 10, 2015 12:00:00 AM
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Interpretation errors - both big and small - occur when language resource provision is inadequate or when providers have a false sense of their language abilities. The tragic case of Willie Ramirez regarding the misinterpretation of a single word -- "intoxicado" -- should serve to fuel action to change the landscape of language services. Providing innovative language support for healthcare providers will increase quality of care for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Read about the case of Willie Ramirez [here. ](http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2008/11/19/language-culture-and-medical-tragedy-the-case-of-willie-ramirez/)
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