Over the past two days amidst the lights of Las Vegas, the 2015 EMS World Expo has attracted Medical First Responders from around the world. The keynote speakers and attendees are talking about and looking for trends, policies, and news that affect their profession no matter how hopeful or burdensome. Continue reading →

We interviewed a 66 year old male, USA (born in Iran), Speaks English, Persian, and Urdu.

Tell us about your language barrier experience:

It was my first time traveling in China. One day I was out in public and just simply needed to use the restroom. Continue reading →

We recently spoke with another First Responder about on-the-job situations. Here’s what they had to say: Continue reading →

This is the first in a series of stories about emergency medical experiences and language translation. First responders, travelers, and immigrants are sharing the scary, humorous, or dramatic events where the language barrier got in the way of the right treatment at the right time.

Do you have a story to share?  Please share it with us at: hello@1stMinuteApp.com. You may remain anonymous.

We interviewed a female, age 27 from USA. Here is her story: Continue reading →

In Cambodia, translating medical trauma is becoming increasingly difficult. For translating medical terms and abstract concepts to English, “the problem [is] that there were no agreed and consistent translations.” This is an intriguing dilemma because there is a psychological side to the problem. The words for depression and anxiety are often vague Cambodian phrases such as the phrase “thelea-tdeuk-ceut (the water in my heart has fallen)” to describe depression, according to an article devoted specifically to this issue. Continue reading →

Recently, we began speaking with First Responders about situations they’ve experienced dealing with non-English speakers.  This Fire/EMS leader works for a mid-sized department (250 personnel) that serves population of 250,000.  Continue reading →

A language barrier in an emergency medical situation can have dreadful results.

According to a New England Journal of Medicine report from 2006, “Some 49.6 million Americans (18.7 percent of U.S. residents) speak a language other than English at home; 22.3 million (8.4 percent) have limited English proficiency, speaking English less than “very well,” according to self-ratings.” Continue reading →

Reddit provides a forum for organizing a variety of topics, which in turn, makes it easier for the general public to stumble upon these things. Don’t believe me?  I invite you to type the topic of your choice into the subreddit search bar and see if anything pops up. Chances are they’ve got multiple forums where people are discussing the exact topic (or at least something really close to) what you were looking for. Continue reading →

In the United States, the language barrier in the EMS field is problematic. A report from the Center for Immigration Studies has determined that one out of every five U.S. residents doesn’t speak English in their home. Continue reading →