Fixed-phrase translation apps cannot convey patients' spoken responses leaving communication one-directional

Fixed-phrase (phrasebook) translation apps translate in only one direction and cannot render a patient's spoken response, leaving communication one-directional and perpetuating a communication barrier.

Narrative synthesis #

The limitation is intrinsic to the fixed-phrase design (which trades free-text flexibility for curated low-risk safety); free-text engines such as Google Translate can translate responses but do so slowly and with accuracy problems.