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Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

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Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#21

Post by standardUser »

slackfan wrote: post #3

There has been a better option for a long time, called on-staff Medical Interpreters. In fact, my spouse worked as one for approximately seven years. Unfortunately due to hospitals consolidating into medical networks and cutting costs wherever they could, this went from on-staff interpreters, to contract interpreters, to on-call phone interpreters (works incredibly poorly), to google translate. Blame the beurocrats r…

Having multiple full-time paid translators on hand 24/7 at every hospital in the country would be nice, but probably not realistic.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#22

Post by rahimnathwani »

atdrummond wrote: post #13

For those who know better than I - does this article, when saying Taiwanese, refer to Taiwanese Mandarin or the language also known as Taigi/Taigu?

When speaking: probably not Mandarin, as in that case they would have no difficulty finding an interpreter.

When writing: not a relevant question, as Google Translate is for the written form, not spoken dialects.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#23

Post by throwawayboise »

munk-a wrote: post #7
slackfan wrote: post #3

There has been a better option for a long time, called on-staff Medical Interpreters. In fact, my spouse worked as one for approximately seven years. Unfortunately due to hospitals consolidating into medical networks and cutting costs wherever they could, this went from on-staff interpreters, to contract interpreters, to on-call phone interpreters (works incredibly poorly), to google translate. Blame the beurocrats r…

My SO had to seek medical attention in rural southern France (we were visiting Carcassone) - she initially sought care at the local emerg where there was not a translator available, she speaks high-school french but most of the conversation was carried out through miming and charades. A few days later, as instructed, she followed up with a local clinic where she prepared a written version of her condition and brought…

> I think it's reasonable to rely on tools like Google Translate, it sucks but full language coverage isn't reasonable.

Far better than what was possible before, when as a tourist you maybe had a phrasebook or something similar.

This is part of the risk of travel into an area where you don't know the language.

Also if you are going to permanently move to such a place, it's incumbent on you to become functionally fluent in the local language. Nobody there owes you a special accomodation.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#24

Post by brianwawok »

slackfan wrote: post #3

There has been a better option for a long time, called on-staff Medical Interpreters. In fact, my spouse worked as one for approximately seven years. Unfortunately due to hospitals consolidating into medical networks and cutting costs wherever they could, this went from on-staff interpreters, to contract interpreters, to on-call phone interpreters (works incredibly poorly), to google translate. Blame the beurocrats r…

> By 2028, it is expected that health care spending in the U.S. will reach nearly one fifth of the nation's gross domestic product

It is a balance of features vs price. Right now, we need to do absolutely everything we can to keep the price of medical care as low as possible.

In the US it might make sense for most hospitals to have people on staff for Spanish. I don't think we as a country can afford 270 other languages of full time staff. We should use tech in any way possible to cut this cost.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#25

Post by LAC-Tech »

Is no one going to address the elephant in the room? If you're in a country where the lingua franca is X, you need to be able to speak X or life will be difficult. I'm not sure why the onus is on every hospital to become a kind of mini united nations here.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#26

Post by rahimnathwani »

atdrummond wrote: post #19
LAC-Tech wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering they were using google translate, I assume they meant Taiwanese Mandarin. Though usually when I hear taiwanese as a language in english it's tai-gi.

I was doing some research on Hokkien in general the other day and that's when I noticed some using the endonym Taigu instead. I'm not sure what the difference, if any, is.

Taigu is a Taiwanese-specific dialect of Hokkien.

Hokkien is spoken outside Taiwan (e.g. Fujian).

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#27

Post by atdrummond »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #26
atdrummond wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was doing some research on Hokkien in general the other day and that's when I noticed some using the endonym Taigu instead. I'm not sure what the difference, if any, is.

Taigu is a Taiwanese-specific dialect of Hokkien. Hokkien is spoken outside Taiwan (e.g. Fujian).

I'm aware of that, so apologies if that wasn't clear. I was referring to the Taigu/Taigi distinction as the source of my uncertainty.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#28

Post by w-j-w »

brianwawok wrote: post #24
slackfan wrote: post #3

There has been a better option for a long time, called on-staff Medical Interpreters. In fact, my spouse worked as one for approximately seven years. Unfortunately due to hospitals consolidating into medical networks and cutting costs wherever they could, this went from on-staff interpreters, to contract interpreters, to on-call phone interpreters (works incredibly poorly), to google translate. Blame the beurocrats r…

> By 2028, it is expected that health care spending in the U.S. will reach nearly one fifth of the nation's gross domestic product It is a balance of features vs price. Right now, we need to do absolutely everything we can to keep the price of medical care as low as possible. In the US it might make sense for most hospitals to have people on staff for Spanish. I don't think we as a country can afford 270 other langua…

No post body was provided.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#29

Post by umeshunni »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #25

Is no one going to address the elephant in the room? If you're in a country where the lingua franca is X, you need to be able to speak X or life will be difficult. I'm not sure why the onus is on every hospital to become a kind of mini united nations here.

Many hospitals advertise internationally and rely on medical tourism of various sorts. You can't expect a 70 year old heart patient flown in from Taiwan to Phoenix to learn English for their surgery.

Re: Doctors who use Google Translate to talk to patients want a better option

#30

Post by sokoloff »

pseingatl wrote: post #9
not2b wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That approach is best for cases where it works, for example in areas where there is a large minority of speakers of a given language (Spanish in the US, for example). But if the patient speaks a language that is unusual for the area, finding an interpreter is going to be more difficult, or maybe not possible in some cases.

You have a similar problem with respect to criminal trials of defendants who speak minority languages. You can find a Khmer interpreter easily enough in Los Angeles, but good luck in Miami.

Criminal trials are at least scheduled, permitting travel or other advance arrangements.
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