Using Google Translate^© in the hospital: A case report

Introduction Doctor-patient communication is essential to the establishment of a therapeutic relationship and to the clinical improvement of the patient. Medical Interpreter Services (MIS) allow the doctors to communicate with patients that do not speak the same language of the clinical staff. However, MIS are not always available and when that happens it is of the upmost importance to find alternatives. Objectives and methods Presentation of a clinical case in which Google Translate^© (GT^©) was used as a translation tool to communicate with a patient. Discussion of the utility and validity of GT^© as a translation tool in Medicine. A Pubmed search for articles concerning the use of technological innovations as translation tools was performed using the key words: GT^©, language barriers, foreign language, and communication barriers. Results In the reported clinical case, GT^© allowed the translation and the establishment of communication with a foreign patient. The Pubmed search found two articles concerning the use and validity of GT^© as a translation tool in Medicine. Conclusions GT^© is the most readily available and free initial mode of communication between a doctor and a patient when language is a barrier. Nonetheless, GT^