Secure Language Translation Device by Pocketalk Enables Better Patient Communication

Episode 778 of the Healthcare IT Today Interviews podcast, hosted by John Lynn, titled "Secure Language Translation Device by Pocketalk Enables Better Patient Communication" was published on January 19, 2026 and runs 24 minutes.

January 19, 2026 ·24m · Healthcare IT Today Interviews

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Summary

Hospitals and clinics in some areas see enormous numbers of people who don't speak the local language well. While human interpreters have been common in exam rooms during patient care, it turns out that interpretation is beneficial throughout many areas of healthcare that previously haven't had easy access to interpretation. That's the problem Pocketalk addresses with technology that provides secure language translation throughout a healthcare organization.Pocketalk is differentiated from consumer translation services by prioritizing security and providing technology that’s optimized for healthcare, which is both HIPAA and GDPR compliant. By default, Pocketalk has translation history turned off, preventing conversations from being stored and guaranteeing privacy. For hospital systems that require reporting for compliance, transcripts can be saved in the history settings. However, transcripts aren’t displayed on the home screen, which prevents visitors from reviewing what has been said to previous patients. Transcripts can also be deleted and the device can be set to automatically delete conversations after a specified amount of time.Pocketalk offers an accurate and secure machine translation service in over 92 languages. Jeff Burrow, Pocketalk's National Healthcare Director, says that in addition to medical discussions (for which it offers a large medical terminology directory), clinical sites use it for patient transport, wayfinding, parking lots, gift shops, food services, environmental services, and more. The device takes only about 10 minutes or less to learn and little to no formal training required, making deployment efficient and easy.Learn more about Pocketalk: https://pocketalk.com/Learn more about Augusta Health: https://www.augustahealth.com/Healthcare IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/

Episode Description

Pocketalk is differentiated from consumer translation services by prioritizing security and providing technology that’s optimized for healthcare, which is both HIPAA and GDPR compliant. By default, Pocketalk has translation history turned off, preventing conversations from being stored and guaranteeing privacy. For hospital systems that require reporting for compliance, transcripts can be saved in the history settings. However, transcripts aren’t displayed on the home screen, which prevents visitors from reviewing what has been said to previous patients. Transcripts can also be deleted and the device can be set to automatically delete conversations after a specified amount of time.

Pocketalk offers an accurate and secure machine translation service in over 92 languages. Jeff Burrow, Pocketalk's National Healthcare Director, says that in addition to medical discussions (for which it offers a large medical terminology directory), clinical sites use it for patient transport, wayfinding, parking lots, gift shops, food services, environmental services, and more. The device takes only about 10 minutes or less to learn and little to no formal training required, making deployment efficient and easy.

Learn more about Pocketalk: https://pocketalk.com/

Learn more about Augusta Health: https://www.augustahealth.com/

Healthcare IT Community: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/