Do we put too much trust in people we don’t really know?

Do we put too much trust in people we don’t really know?

Sometimes we place our total reliance on communication through individuals that have little or no more qualifications than having been born with parents that speak a second or different home language. Yet we are putting these people in places of great sensitivity with issues of security, medical understanding and levels of education far exceeding those of English speaking staff and we expect them to translate it accurately without first knowing that they understand the words themselves. Being able to speak a second language doesn’t mean that your level of education is any higher or your skills any better, it just means that you are able to talk and communicate.

With EMASUK talking tools you are able to take away the guesswork of what is being said, present it sensitively and with compassion, and make eye contact using the correct body language to show that you care, you understand, that its urgent, that sometimes there is no choice, but all the time you are in command.
With this happening it means that for the first time ever via our unique product every person is communicable to by professionals even in the darkest hours of their lives.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/nhs-interpreter-charged-twice-services-6905242. This story is happening far too commonly in UK schools, hospitals, police forces and courts using on-line tools this can all be stopped, it can be checked and even if you use a translator for it it gives you that support and back up that you feel confident that they know what they are doing.
Last year we highlighted some of the concerns in the blog @http://wp.me/p2LCCD-fc

Find out how you can use this service with a Microsoft surface to support you in reducing costs but maintain a high level of customer satisfaction and service by contact Ewan on E.Macgregor@emasuk.com or call 07595 021 958.

 

Traditional v 21st Century language translation methods. Which are you?

This is an interesting story that really makes you think about language acquisition.

A power couple in neuroscience, professors Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff were in Hong Kong recently to give a talk on their respective areas of expertise – emotional quotient and intelligence quotient – and the role of each in language acquisition.  http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1456247/between-lines-why-bilingualism-childs-play

For me I am left with the feeling that traditional methods are wholly useless, and no matter how long a person tries to learn a language or how much money they spend then they are already setting themselves up for a fall. However people still tell us if we are to communicate across language then we must speak another language. For me I think we just need to simply communicate.

It is difficult to acquire language later in life because the brain loses its elasticity. In terms of learning new languages past the age of seven, Kuhl posits that the “window of learning” stays open longer for children who were exposed to different languages as babies.

I believe that if this research is true then those who have had no exposure to other languages as a child, will struggle as adults and depending on when this influence stopped their wired connections in the brain are already being depleted.

Kuhl found early language skills predict future reading abilities, and skills not developed early are difficult to remediate later on.

This is where I believe EMASUK comes into its own.

• We don’t want people to fail.
• We understand that not everyone is a linguist, not everyone can learn many languages yet the way people are moving globally this is in some cities and expectation.
• What we do all want to do is communicate whether with colleagues, customers or other adults, no matter what field you are in. For the vast majority of us that means recognising where we are and then looking for a way to bridge the gap.

Our award winning Talking Tool called Two can Talk or ClaireTalk (in health settings) does this easily and relatively cheaply. Using two key boards and 26 languages it is possible to communicate across these languages simply and effectively at low cost 24 hours a day.

So which will you be?

1. traditional continuing to do what you have always done and wondering why it isn’t having an effect? or
2. use the toosl and knowledge available to me today to develop my communication skills?

If you chose number 2 the contact us for more details  info@emasuk.com, 07824612965 for more details.

Bruce Moss

Tel: 07500 008092

Email: bruce.moss@bmconsultancy.co.uk

“By combining automated translation with the skills of trained professionals, it’s now possible to increase the amount of multilingual communication dramatically—without sacrificing quality.

 

“By combining automated translation with the skills of trained professionals, it’s now possible to increase the amount of multilingual communication dramatically—without sacrificing quality. Is exactly what we at EMASUK have advocated since 2009. What is interesting is that those who have been customers througout that time have seen their departments grow, have increased their teams, reduced their costs, raised standards in their schools and had feedback that they feel they are having a more personalised service.

Hans Fenstermacher, the head of the world’s leading language association said automated machine translation, whereby computers translate content from one language to another without human intervention, are now becoming a mainstream tool for communication.

“Machine translation is approaching accuracy rates in the neighborhood of 80 percent today,” Fenstermacher said. “By combining automated translation with the skills of trained professionals, it’s now possible to increase the amount of multilingual communication dramatically—without sacrificing quality. The benefits for the language industry and the world’s populations as a whole are staggering.”

At EMASUK customers report that in their experience due to the bespoke service and specialist develpoments accuracy is over 90% and in mnay cases over  95% as the user become smore competent in its use.

 “Technology advancements not only benefit the public as users of language services, they support professional language providers as well,” Fenstermacher said. “The days when translation was a cottage industry run by people who basically worked in isolation are over. Technology is propelling translation services—and the language industry itself—to the forefront of global communication.” Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2013/04/10/4762822/automated-translation-leads-language.html#storylink=cpy

To find out more about how our solution can support your staff and translator/interpreter service to improving the quality of your service and reduce costs contact john at john.foxwell@emasuk.com or feel free to ring for a conversation about how we can support you further with a more bespoke service on 07525323219

 

Stop Press **** Languages most used in the Eastern European Countries ****

I read this and was not aware so thought it good to share. Removing language as a barrier to cross-company collaboration can be a competitive game changer for multinational organizations. In fact it can open up a world of possibilities.  If you cannot speak many of the Eastern European Languages then this report  about the use of translation services in the bus and travel industry, suggests that

Spanish and Russian (used as a common language across Eastern European populations)

Really useful information if you have clients, customers or parents that come from these areas then the Talking Tools and the hand held I Can Talk  will support you in these meetings. There is also the benefit of the availability of Polish, Czech and Romanian as a support along with the other languages all available for one price.

Why are we still treating translation like dirty laundry?

I just loved the title.  Why do we treat out translation service as dirty laundry or even something that we just all pillory? There are always two opposing arguments and no halfway measure. Maybe this is the way forward mixing SLT (Statistical langauge transaltions) and MAT’s (Machine Translaion services) with real people as translators and interpreters. Hum! isn’t this something that we here at EMASUK do? We mix and match on the spot translation technologies for those in need e.g. receptionists, investigators, doctors  with translators supporting our books and written content when speed is not of the essence.

When starting from scratch with no knowledge of a service and no pre-conceived way of how the industry works that is when movements forward are made so it is not surprising that this company have used the growing APP market to find a different way of delivering a service and creating a 21st century business model.

From this companies point of view

Imagine you’ve developed a new iPhone game and you need it translated from  English into Spanish, or Russian, or German. What do you do?

 

Like taking a coat to a drycleaner, you take your source code, send it to a  translation agency along with a fee, wait a few days, then get your code back in  whichever language you need, hopefully grammatically correct and  comprehensible.

 

So what’s wrong with this approach? For starters, language isn’t laundry.  While you can see with your eyes that a drycleaner got a spot out of your coat,  without knowing another language, you’ll never know for sure that your text has  been translated accurately.

 

What many may not know is that there is another contender out there, hoping to “break the chains” and make translation by  humans simpler, faster, and more accountable. But …  let’s  talk about why the current model just doesn’t work.

The current state of translation

There are infinite, subtle nuances to language that must be accounted for,  which is precisely why accurate machine translation is still just a pipe dream.  Machines work on logic; Google Translate can give you a word-for-word  translation of your text, but it can’t comprehend emotion, symbolism, or  underlying meaning behind those words. It can tell you that “alcornoque” means “cork oak,” but without having a human put it in context, you’d never know  someone was calling you a “blockhead!”

So why, then, is the translation industry still running on a 20th-century  business model, despite the need for translated, localized content—on the web,  in apps, and everywhere else—being more urgent than ever?

The fact is, translation agencies haven’t changed or adapted in decades  because they haven’t had to; they’re the gatekeepers. They know the translators,  and the translators know the languages, and if you need something translated you  just have to play by their rules. Until that holy grail of accurate machine  translation can be reached, people have no choice but to put their trust in  someone else and hope for the best.

Why is app translation even important?

English-speaking app developers are focusing more and more on  foreign-language markets lately for the simple reason that the English-speaking  market has flatlined; the biggest, fastest growth can now be found in markets  that primarily speak something other than English.

By having an app available only in English, you are shutting out about 74% of  your potential users. Meanwhile, by having your app available in just the ten  most-spoken languages on the internet, you could triple its visibility and reach  over 80% of all internet users. In today’s competitive, world-wide marketplace,  you can’t afford to shut that many people out!

 

Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2012/11/26/why-are-we-still-treating-translation-like-dirty-laundry/#JlhFzF8SdDlg5pZy.99

5 ways translation technology can improve healthcare

Apart from this story coming from the US the rest could just as easily be applied to Clairetalk in the UK, and it could be applied to any of the countries whose languages  clairetalk supports.

http://www.physbiztech.com/how-to/5-ways-translation-technology-can-improve-healthcare

If you don’t already encounter multilingual patients in your practice, there’s good reason to believe you will at some point in the future: 47 million U.S. residents don’t speak English as their primary language. In fact, requirements at the state and federal level demand that you find ways to communicate with limited English-speakers.

Among those solutions are technologies that offer speech-to-speech and text-to-text communication from one language to another, said Jonathan Litchman, senior vice president, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). “Multilingual communication solutions [are having] a huge impact on the healthcare industry,” Litchman said. “Not only does i[the technology] remove the language barrier between patients and their physicians, it also reduces the cost of medical interpretation and time associated with it, while increasing productivity and accuracy.”

Litchman outlined five benefits translation technology brings to healthcare.

1. Reduced costs Healthcare translation technology can significantly reduce costs for hospitals and providers in their interpretation needs, while also boosting productivity. “This sort of technology is the low-hanging fruit CFOs and senior admins hardly recognize,” Litchman said. “That cost saving can be leveraged to be used for more critical, clinical applications that are much more sensitive to cost-cutting.”

2. Reduced administrative and staff burden Many healthcare organizations have a limited number of people available for interpretation, especially on an immediate basis. “The wait time for interpreters can sometimes be upwards to 25 minutes,” Litchman said. Speech-to-speech technology can solve this the wait time problem, which places less of a burden on staff while increasing patient throughput. “That level of healthcare productivity is really a goal for most hospital administrations. It’s something that’s highly sought after: reduce costs of translation and save money? That hits a benefit twice.”

3. Increased quality and accuracy Accuracy can be a major problem when it comes to translation and interpretation. “Usually the interpreters aren’t the ones also filling out the paperwork. It’s important to make sure that what was said in one language is accurately being reflected in another language,” explained Litchman. Inaccuracy can have significant implications on insurance reimbursement, billing and healthcare record management. “As a patient and physician are sitting side-by-side having a conversation that’s being recorded in both languages on a screen, they can see if there’s a mistake or if something needs clarification. There’s no wait time; immediate corrections can be made with people involved.”

4. Mobility Another benefit of healthcare translation technology is its mobility. Consider the back-up hospitals can face at an emergency department admissions desk due to lack of available interpreters. Having a translation product brought to the ER when needed can reduce wait times for patients. Instead of having to wait for an interpreter to be found, the technology is already available in the hospital. “It would increase the quality of patient care, throughput, and overall healthcare experience, which means patient satisfaction goes way up,” said Litchman.

5. Clinical applications
 Technology like this isn’t just beneficial for the administrative side of a healthcare organization; it also makes a big difference on the clinical side, too. “You have three people in a conversation – the person speaking the foreign language, an interpreter and the physician. It seems like communication should flow freely and evenly in a situation like this, but great nuances can be missed,” Litchman said. Having two records in front of a physician, one in the patient’s language and a translated version, allows medical practitioners to see whether the questions they’re asking are truly being understood by both the patient and the interpreter. “This technology allows us to capture the spirit and intent of a physician’s effort to communicate with a patient while avoiding the game of ‘Telephone,'” said Litchman. “The message isn’t going to get lost along the way.”

I couldn’t have said it better.

for more info on clairetalk contact www.emasuk.com

Vulnerable patients at a loss as to how they can communicate with their doctors.

What a sad story below and just the thing that we wanted to ensure doesn’t happen in the UK. In Australia interpreting services have been slashed leaving vulnerable people at a loss as to how they can speak with doctors. Many are just stuck for words whilst others are luckier if a member of their family can act as the interpreter.  Luckily in the UK this should not be a reality as we have Clairetalk the system that allows doctors and their patients to communicate with each other in real time without the need of an interpreter in the room.

Emina Suleiman, 81, said without a Turkish translator she could not communicate with hospital doctors.

“Because when I go to hospital, the doctor tell me something I not understand,” Mrs Suleiman said.

“Maybe now I not go. Nobody can help me there.”

I think this is everyone worst nightmare especially when thinking of older relatives. It is difficult for both sides, with the patients not being understood and the doctors doing their best but struggling.  I for one dont think this is acceptable when there are alternative cheap options available to make both peoples lives easier. Communication should not be a barrier but a tool to support both sides of the discussion.

To find out more go to www.emasuk.com and then choose the healthcare button.

To read the story here is the link http://whittlesea-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/translation-lost-in-cuts/

And the story:

THERE are mounting concerns that language services at The Northern Hospital have been slashed.

Northern Health chief executive Greg Pullen confirmed patients were now being screened to ensure interpreting services were necessary, but said the service would be maintained.

The State Opposition and the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers Australia say there are already less casual and sessional translators across five Northern Health campuses.

Mr Pullen said full-time and part-time jobs would not be cut, but he did not say if casual translators or those on contracts would be affected.

Thomastown state Labor MP Bronwyn Halfpenny said direct pressure from the State Government to cut costs led to the service overhaul.

Ms Halfpenny said elderly migrants living in culturally diverse areas, such as Thomastown, would be the worst-affected.

“They rely heavily on interpreters to communicate effectively with their doctors,” Ms Halfpenny said.

“It is outrageous that people are being forced to rely on family members to translate for them in sensitive matters.”

Emina Suleiman, 81, said without a Turkish translator she could not communicate with hospital doctors.

“Because when I go to hospital, the doctor tell me something I not understand,” Mrs Suleiman said.

“Maybe now I not go. Nobody can help me there.”

Mrs Suleiman said she preferred not to burden her son, who already drove her to hospital, with translating duties.

Health Minister David Davis did not respond to the Leader’s questions.

EMAS UK Timeline of Success

When we created EMAS UK we had an idea of wanting to make every child’s experience of school positive. This was especially true of the newly arrived non-English speaking children.They arrived in the country and very often were taken to school the next morning, disorientated, scared, unable to communicate and left with strangers. Vulnerable children in a vulnerable group left without the support that we would expect if it was our children starting somewhere new. We wanted to give them a voice. We knew that we couldn’t reach every child but we could reach every school and so the support had to be school based. To do this we created tools for teachers to help with the first moments and then deliver lessons that would make a positive difference to learning. I always wonder whether we are achieving this, and then I get snippets of information back that make me think we are winning,  if only very slowly and in little pockets.

Last summer, EMAS UK has had its first school achieve 100% level 4 in KS2 SATs in a school that is 97% EAL.

Last month, EMAS UK has had its first school inspected under the new Ofsted criteria to achieve a ‘GOOD’ rating.

Last week, EMAS UK had reports of children starting to structuring sentences in only 4 weeks due to its revolutionary communications tools.

Last term, EMAS UK has teachers rating their INSET training on EAL support as ‘highly recommended’ and would like more in the future

Last term, EMAS UK has schools requesting further support after they have undertaken the school audit by its award winning staff.

This term we go on and try even harder aiming to ensure that no child ever misses the chance to receive the help they need.

Safeguarding vulnerable children – focussing on EAL and new arrivals

Safeguarding is a huge issue that needs to be tackled with care but how can you do this when you cannot speak directly to the child or parents? Members of EMASUK  have access to the tools to deliver this efficiently and securely, so this post discusses the commissioners finding and shows where the tools you have available supports the initiative.

In relation to safeguarding one tool allows you not only to have a conversation but also record the conversation via PDF. Two Can Talk allows the conversationalists to type in their information and have it spoken aloud in another language. The intimacy of the programme which allows two people of different language bases to speak and discuss together means the child feels supported and listened to. In addition the teacher/nurse/officer can read all the body language that accompanies the conversation to make a real judgment on the case.The addition of the ability to put in who the conversationalists were makes it possible for the first time to keep a record for further use which is a real must for safeguarding discussions. In practice this was brought home last year when one school was able to use Two Can Talk to find out that the child had a nut alergy so were able to divert a possible life threatening situation.

The same tool can be used in hospitals and in police stations where children also have difficult conversations, but again they can be reassured that they are being listened to and understood, as is the recording of the information, the child may only have the courage to say it once, so we must do our best to make this simple and easy for everyone concerned.

The Childrens Commissioner Dr Maggie Atkinson has this week detailed some good examples of how to support safeguarding in schools via her top ten tips.  Below are some highlighted areas that relate exactly to the group of children and parents that we are supporting in the UK schools and the community i.e. those whose first language is not English and new arrivals.

How will good practice help safeguarding in everyday school life. p5 of the report.

One of the areas highlighted is the ability for the child to be listened to, and also good relationships with parents, again this is really difficult if you yourself do not speak Arabic, Russian, Bengali etc, but you can start that process if you are using Text Tutor effectively.  Text Tutor has all these and more languages and by using the simple cut and paste method you can create what ever letter, news information, safeguarding leaflet that you need personalised for your institution.

The commissioner targets ten areas with one of these being  ‘How do you engage with parents and carers’. The commissioner states that parents should be aware of the safeguarding policies and how schools plan to fulfil their responsibilities. She suggests that good schools  have approachable staff and good communication. One school which I have seen in action is Tennyson Road School in Luton, they really have the child at the centre of their processes including one person with the role as a parent support worker. The use of this type of support is recognised by the childrens commissioner as really good practice because of their knowledge of the school but also the wider community. To support this further by using the hand held translator I Can Talk To it allows officers, teachers and support workers a more portable device where there is no computer access, but still allows parental engagement. See it working here http://icantalkto.co.uk/

The value of Parent support workers for the school, the child and the local community.

Disclosure is often something that people are unprepared for, but again the use of two can talk can help the conversation take place and record it. I have experienced this once and with a child who spoke my language and this was really difficult for both of us, but imagine if the child did not speak the same language, it makes it even more difficult but as the commissioners says these children have a right to be heard, so at EMASUK we believe it is our job to make that as painless and easy as possible.

EAL and disclosure examples of good practice.

In conclusion using the variety of communication tools available it is possible to support these children and also be ragarded as a good school in realtion to safeguarding whether at school, hospital, police station or the local council office, but more importantly be regarded by the child as soem one they can put their trust in to have their most difficult conversation with.

You can download or read the tips by the Commissioner here http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_627

For further information email info@emasuk.com