Translation service improves communication at hospital

Navigating a hospital visit can be stressful, especially when English isn’t your first language. To address this challenge, the Brant Community Healthcare System (Brantford General Hospital and The Willett, Paris) have recently introduced Voyce, a live translation service available 24/7. Using mobile devices, staff can connect with interpreters in over 240 languages and dialects, including Indigenous languages and American Sign Language, in just 30 seconds.

In its first six months, Voyce facilitated over 500 interactions at BCHS, primarily in the Emergency Department and Pediatrics. The most requested languages include Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Ukrainian, and French. This service ensures patients and staff can communicate clearly and with cultural sensitivity, even during urgent situations.

Linda Foster (RN, Emergency Department) says Voyce is a “game-changer” in assessing and treating patients.

“Once they see all of us on the screen together and are able to communicate in their native tongue, it’s like a lightbulb going off in their head. They realize quickly that we can speak their language, which opens up dialogue to assessing and treating.”

Click here to read the full Hospital Insider.

Photo: Alden Leung, BCHS Quality and Risk consultant, stands with a Voyce device at Brantford General Hospital.