Use of Google Translate in medical communication: evaluation of accuracy

Abstract

Communication is the cornerstone of medicine, without which we cannot interact with our patients.1 The General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice states that “Doctors must listen to patients, take account of their views, and respond honestly to their questions.”2 However, we still often interact with patients who do not speak the local language. In the United Kingdom most hospitals have access to translation services, but they are expensive and often cumbersome. A complex and nuanced medical, ethical, and treatment discussion with patients whose knowledge of the local language is inadequate remains challenging. Indeed, even in a native language there is an element of translation from medical to lay terminology. We recently treated a very sick child in our paediatric intensive care unit. The parents did not speak English, and there were no human translators available. Reluctantly we resorted to a web based translation tool. We were uncertain whether Google Translate was accurately translating our complex medical phrases.3 4 Fortunately our patient recovered, and a …