Increasing globalization and immigration has seen an increase in linguistic and cultural diversity worldwide. This has necessitated the use of interpreters in public service settings. Of particular interest to the authors, and the focus of this article, is the impact of linguistic diversity on access to health care and, more specifically, to mental healthcare services. It is widely documented that language discordance impedes access to, and quality of, health care and that formally trained interpreter-assisted consults vastly improve client satisfaction and clinical outcomes. This article examines the current situation in South Africa regarding the use of interpreters in this setting. The ethical and practical implications for psychotherapy and psychodiagnostics are considered. Current policy and legislation relevant to language services and health care is reviewed. Possible ways forward to ensure equal access to healthcare services are discussed.Language serves many functions in society. It is the most important medium of communication and arguably one of the most important means of interaction. Through a dialectical process, language shapes and is shaped by culture. However, internationally, there are examples of language being used in a divisive manner. The apartheid government used language as an instrument in the politicization of the country which aided the segregation of the South African nation. Therefore, among other ethnographic variables, language was used as yet another marker of difference to justify segregation and oppression in South Africa. The origins of South Africa's language issue lie in the country's settler-colonial history. English and Afrikaans, the languages of the settlers and colonists, were imposed upon indigenous South Africans and other oppressed groups. The White minority had access to the best public services which were exclusively provided in English and Afrikaans.