Assessing the Use of Google Translate for Spanish and Chinese Translations of Emergency Department Discharge Instructions

Khoong, Elaine C.; Steinbrook, Eric; Brown, Cortlyn; Fernández, Alicia

doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.7653

Cited by 78 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…A recent study examines the use of Google Translate for translating emergency department discharge instructions from English into Chinese and Spanish (Khoong et al, 2019). The results showed that 2% of Spanish translations and 8% of translations into Chinese were inaccurate and could potentially cause significant harm (p. 580).…”

Section: Evaluation Of Mtmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases

Vieira

O’Hagan

O’Sullivan

2020

Information, Communication & Society

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The ready availability of machine translation (MT) systems such as Google Translate has profoundly changed how society engages with multilingual communication practices. In addition to private use situations, this technology is now used to overcome language barriers in high-risk settings such as hospitals and courts. MT errors pose serious risks in environments like these, but there is little understanding of the nature of these risks and of the wider implications of using this technology. This article is the first structured study of the consequences of uninformed MT use in healthcare and law. Based on a critical literature review, the article presents a qualitative meta-analysis of official documents and published research on the use of MT in these two fields. Its findings prompt calls for action in three areas. First, the review shows that research on MT use in healthcare and law can often disregard the complexities of language and language translation. The article calls for cross-disciplinary research to address this gap by ensuring that a growing body of relevant knowledge in translation studies informs research conducted within the medical and legal sectors. Second, the review highlights a broad societal need for higher levels of awareness of the specific strengths and, crucially, of the limitations of MT. Finally, the article concludes that MT technology can in its current state exacerbate social inequalities and put certain communities of users at greater risk. We highlight this as a persistent issue that merits further attention from researchers and policymakers.

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Section: Evaluation Of Mtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Chen et al (2017) assess just three sentences, for instance, and the simpler sentences among them do not necessarily concern diabetes or indeed a healthcare setting (p. 4). 8 In Khoong et al (2019) and Das et al (2019), the assessment involved back-translating the Google Translate output into English. This is a problematic method.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Mtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases

Vieira

O’Hagan

O’Sullivan

2020

Information, Communication & Society

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show abstract

“…Although some health organisations provide portals in a range of languages, clinical notes are typically offered in one language only. Online machine translation, while improving,19 is subject to significant error rates, particularly if translating complex syntax and vocabulary in notes. Nevertheless, access to open notes appears to help some patients who speak another primary language by allowing them, or a care partner, to read and recall information 2 6.…”

Section: Opportunity To Improve Health Equitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Empowering patients and reducing inequities: is there potential in sharing clinical notes?

et al. 2020

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“…By using DCAT before the consultation in a waiting room, the actual appointment is not disturbed or prolonged. This also distinguishes our approach from those which introduce a digital ad-hoc translation (e.g., using Google translate during the consultation) [28][29][30] and apps that only allow health care providers to communicate preselected phrases and are therefore not self-administered by patients [14,15,17,18]. Furthermore, the DCAT app is free to download, making it accessible to all clinics that have a digital device they can circulate.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Digital Communication Assistance Tool (DCAT) to Obtain Medical History from Foreign-Language Patients: Development and Pilot Testing in a Primary Health Care Center for Refugees

Müller

Chandra

Furaijat

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Background: Language barriers play a critical role in the treatment of migrant and refugee patients. In Germany, primary care interpreters are often not available especially in rural areas or if patients demand spontaneous or urgent consultations. Methods: In order to enable patients and their physicians to communicate effectively about the current illness history, we developed a digital communication assistance tool (DCAT) for 19 different languages and dialects. This paper reports the multidisciplinary process of the conceptual design and the iterative development of this cross-cultural user-centered application in an action-oriented approach. Results: We piloted our app with 36 refugee patients prior to a clinical study and used the results for further development. The acceptance and usability of the app by patients was high. Conclusion: Using digital tools for overcoming language barriers can be a feasible approach when providing health care to foreign-language patients.

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Assessing the Use of Google Translate for Spanish and Chinese Translations of Emergency Department Discharge Instructions

Abstract: Dr Khoong had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: Khoong, Brown, Fernandez.

Cited by 78 publications

References 6 publications

Understanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases

Understanding the societal impacts of machine translation: a critical review of the literature on medical and legal use cases

Empowering patients and reducing inequities: is there potential in sharing clinical notes?

A Digital Communication Assistance Tool (DCAT) to Obtain Medical History from Foreign-Language Patients: Development and Pilot Testing in a Primary Health Care Center for Refugees

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