Theoretical and Methodological Issues Regarding the Use of Language Technologies for Patients with Limited English Proficiency

This paper concerns the use of spoken language translation as well as other technologies to support communication between clinicians and patients where the latter have limited proficiency in the majority language. The paper explores some theoretical and methodological issues, in particular the question of whether it is the patient or clinician who should be seen as the primary user of such software, and whether for certain scenarios more simple technology is preferable, especially given the huge overheads involved in developing SLT systems for under-resourced languages. A range of solutions are discussed.