Professional medical language providers or medical interpreters are often described as invisible language facilitators (Angelelli 7). This means that their role is to convey meaning in the other language between the parties in the interaction which is achieved through a channel or message converter role. The incremental intervention model of interpreting allows interpreters to use a variety of roles, including that of cultural intermediary and advocate. Advocacy is a role taken on by an interpreter that shifts from interpreting communication between speakers to acting on behalf of one of the speakers based on the interpreter's understanding of what the speaker's intended outcome is (NCIHC). It is difficult for medical interpreters to judge when to transition from their role as message converters to that of patient advocates and speak with their own voice on behalf of a patient while maintaining high ethical and professional standards at all times. When interpreters take on the role of patient advocate, they become visible in the interaction by going beyond the conduit role and becoming co-participants in the triad. What is the ethical role of the medical interpreter as an advocate for the Latino patient?; when is it appropriate to use advocacy?; how to make the decision?; what are the consequences of inappropriate use of the advocacy role?; what are the boundaries? To answer all these questions it is necessary to define advocacy. The meaning of advocacy in medical interpretation is “an action taken on behalf of an individual that goes beyond the facilitation of communication, with the intention of supporting good health outcomes” (NCIHC 3). According to the CHIA standards for healthcare interpreters, “interpreters enter into patient advocacy…… at the heart of the document…… IMIA Interpreters Association http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/376_2.pdfHsieh , Eleine. “Health Literacy and Patient Empowerment: The Role of Medical Interpreters in Bilingual Health Care.” Reducing health disparities: communication intervention. M. Dutta & G. Kreps, 2013 (pp. 35-58). New York: Peter Lang. [invited contribution] Web. 1 November 2013, from http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/H/Elaine.K.Hsieh- 1/download/Hsieh2013-Dutta%20Chapter.pdfInternational Medical Interpreters Association & Education Development Center, Inc. Parctice Medical Interpreting Standards http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/102.pdfNational Healthcare Interpreting Council (NCHIC). A national code of ethics for healthcare interpreters. July 2004. Web. 15 September 2013. http://www.ncihc.org/assets/documents/publications/NCIHC%20National%20Code %20of%20Ethics.pdf