Hague Hospital Distributes Translators

The Haaglanden Medical Center in The Hague, Netherlands, distributed one hundred translation devices to its outpatient clinics. The hospital recognized that language barriers hinder quality care, leaving non-Dutch speaking patients feeling lost within the system. Logopedist Christa Docter-Kerkhof uses a device to communicate with an Italian patient with a speech disorder, translating instructions for a language test.

The hospital serves roughly 196,000 patients annually, many of whom speak languages including Turkish, Polish, Arabic, and Mandarin. Staff noticed they often relied on personal phones with Google Translate, risking data leaks, or family members whose interpretations might be incomplete. The new protocol includes devices with 95 languages and dialects, and trained “promoters” to guide staff.

While the devices aid simple conversations, the hospital still uses professional interpreters for sensitive discussions, like delivering difficult news, and logged 1,363 requests for interpreter phone services last year. The hospital plans to track the languages spoken by patients to better understand needs, but acknowledges that translating dialects—like Berber—remains a challenge. The work to improve communication continues.