Translation-bot lends a helping hand
Speech Technology Magazine writes that an acute care hospital in
Translations can be verified by Converser’s Reliable Retranslation technology—which provides a translation of the translation—and, if a word is mistranslated, Converser allows for fast correction by providing a list of alternative meanings.
Converser says the machine, much cheaper than hiring a live interpreter, will cut down on waiting room time and “free up interpreters to concentrate on the most critical cases.” Here’s
“It’s been a very good tool to add to our services,” says Chris Domalewski, vice president of marketing and community relations. “It is extremely helpful to patients and also to our staff.”
According to Domalewski, staff at Bayshore successfully utilized Converser recently when asking a Latino patient—who didn’t speak English—to use a wheelchair.
“He simply didn’t understand it in English,” Domalewski says of the patient who initially refused the request. “But once we wrote it on the screen…[Converser] spoke [in Spanish] back out at him, ‘please get into the wheelchair.’ So it was very simple…. It was very helpful.”
This may be one case where a machine translator isn’t that bad after all—a sort of refined medical Babelfish that could potentially save lives. And for interminably short-staffed hospitals, the Converser may be a welcomed helping hand. It would be interesting, however, to take another look after the hospital has used the machine for a while. Do patients prefer a robot over a human, for example? Can the Converser deal with more complex conversations?
Converser’s company says it’s working to develop a similar program in Chinese, and will grow from there.
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