HOSPITAL program
SignTranslate
SignTranslate GP and SignTranslate Hospital are award-winning websites that allow medical staff to communicate with non-English speaking patients - both profoundly Deaf sign-language-users and foreign-language speakers. This ensures medical staff can treat deaf or foreign patients without delay, even if face-to-face interpreting support is not available.
SignTranslate Hospital was launched in 2009 and builds on the success of SignTranslate GP that is presently accessible in every GP surgery in England.
On-Line Sign Language Interpreting
Some situations require the flexibility of a face-to-face British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, but there are often long lead times to obtain their services. When such a situation arises at short notice, medical staff and the Deaf patient can use SignTranslate's On-Line Sign Language Interpreting Service to make a video call to a fully qualified BSL interpreter using a standard webcam. No specialist equipment is needed and an interpreter can be available in minutes.
SignTranslate's platform allows distribution of On-Line Sign Language Interpreting sessions to a bank of interpreting agencies all over the UK. This means that local interpreters will normally be on-line, which is reassuring for the Deaf person.
In an emergency any available on-line interpreter can deal with the call, ensuring that the patient’s needs can be cared for quickly by medical staff.
Click here for more information about on-demand, inexpensive, pay-as-you-go On-Line Sign Language Interpreting.
FREE Text Alert Service
To help reduce appointment no-shows, SignTranslate includes a FREE text alert facility for use with Deaf patients, which can also be used for prescription reminders, flu jab alerts and so on (we ask that use of this service is restricted to Deaf patients as its cost is underwritten by SignHealth, the healthcare charity for Deaf people that owns SignTranslate Ltd)
Demonstrable Benefits for Deaf BSL users and foreign langage speakers
When face-to-face interpreters are not available SignTranslate ensures that Deaf and foreign people can make themselves understood and properly understand the information they are receiving so medical staff can make fast accurate diagnoses.
SignTranslate significantly improves access to healthcare services, and helps the NHS to meet some of its important Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA) obligations. SignTranslate is not a replacement for face-to-face interpreters, rather it is a vital addition to the range of Interpreting and Translation services that modern healthcare organisations must offer.
SignTranslate Hospital - Talking, Signing Phrasebook
Patients are likely to arrive at hospital outside working hours and with no communication support. So as well as On-Line Interpreting, SignTranslate Hospital includes a talking, signing medical phrasebook. This can be used with Deaf BSL users when On-Line Interpreting is not available, or with foreign non-English speakers at any time.
Medical staff use their PC to go to the SignTranslate website and then select from over 500 medical phrases, which are instantly translated into video clips for the two main dialects of British Sign Language (BSL) plus audio and text for 12 different foreign languages.
As the questions are spoken in the foreign languages, this is useful even for illiterate non-English speakers. The languages supported are: Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, and Urdu.
Frequently Asked Questions
A couple of points that can confuse people until they are clarified:
- Why does a Deaf BSL user need an On-Line Sign Language Interpreter? Why not communicate with a Deaf patient by exchanging written notes?
Because sign language users are not necessarily confident with written English. The average BSL user has an equivalent reading age of a 7 year old.
- How does the Deaf or foreign patient answer a question from the "Talking Signing Phrasebook" so the hearing person can understand?
Any questions are carefully worded so they can be answered with "Yes", or "No", or by pointing to a picture on screen.