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Due to the refugee crisis, the Schwarzwald-Baar district had to accept up to 6000 refugees from various countries until a few months ago. The influx of refugees into the central emergency room of the Schwarzwald-Baar Klinikum also grew daily. However, communication with the patients was hardly possible as there were hardly any people from the clinic’s pool of interpreters who could communicate in the languages concerned. For a good and adequate diagnosis, however, a correct anamnesis is hardly possible and this is the prerequisite for any medical action. Video interpreting closed this gap excellently and both doctors and patients are enthusiastic about this form of communication. In the meantime, the tool is used for rounds and clarifications throughout the clinic and has become indispensable in everyday life.

For us, working with patients has improved significantly: we can now convey complex medical content quickly and competently in the vast majority of languages. The SAVD system has proven to be easy to use, fast and reliable. We had already heard a lot of good things about it, but our own experience exceeded that. We were particularly impressed by the video translators, who give the translation system an extremely human and very friendly face. This was especially important to us when working with children and young people.

A real help for the communication with our patients with migration background. Fast, safe, simple and competent. Costs and benefits perfect. Our employees and patients are enthusiastic.

The video interpreting project combines two major advantages: On the one hand, the people who contact us as an authority can communicate better. In this way, inhibition thresholds can be reduced and communication with citizens* improved. On the other hand, the project has many advantages for the employees of the City of Salzburg, as procedures are completed faster and it is easier to talk to people, especially in sensitive areas. The video interpreting project enables us to ensure that all citizens of Salzburg* have equal access to the services of the City Council.

For the Magistrate’s Department 11 it is especially helpful when it comes to initial interviews with families and children/young people. Video interpreters were used for the first time to communicate with unaccompanied minor refugees. This allows us to explain to them where they are and what the next steps will be. But they themselves can also communicate with us and communicate their concerns through the video interpreter. The children and young people who are already with us now know that this possibility exists. If they need or want to say something, we fall back on it.

In our anaesthesiological premedication outpatient clinic, we provide daily information to patients from the most diverse countries of origin. A correct understanding of the health history and risks is a must for the decisions that the patient and doctor have to make. Thanks to video interpreting, we now have a qualified and certified interpreter for the corresponding language via video within a very short time. The waiting times of the patients have been shortened many times over as a result, organisation and costs have been reduced and we are sure that the patient has received all the necessary information for his decision making correctly translated in his language.

As one of the first users of the video interpreting system in the course of the pilot project “Video Interpreting in the Medical Area of the Vienna-Josefstadt Prison”, the entire team of doctors benefits from the qualitative advantages of the system. Not only is the appropriate language translation available within the shortest possible time and the patients can be explored without complications, but also the workflow is highly accelerated by this medium. This is due to the fact that the previous situation with interpreters having to be ordered externally and their economic and time disadvantages are eliminated. With this service, a standardised anamnesis and language barrier-free examination of patients has been achieved. Video interpreting is now used in both outpatient and inpatient settings and, with over 60 ethnic groups in the hospital, is now an indispensable procedure.

For the employees of the Federal Employment Agency, the telephone interpreting service is an important aid in communicating with non-German speaking customers. Interpreters are usually available within minutes and additional services can be connected to the service offer continuously, quickly and easily.

The video interpreting service is very important for us, as we can respond flexibly to the refugees’ requests for advice and questions. In the past, it was necessary to invite interpreters for discussions, which took a considerable amount of time.

Our patients in the neunerhaus health centre come from 69 countries worldwide. That means there is a demand for 45 languages. With language barriers the best treatment and advice is of no use. With video interpreting this problem is solved in a professional and effective way.

Since autumn 2014, Aids Hilfe Wien has been using the efficient and location-independent video interpreting solution from SAVD very successfully. At the push of a button, qualified interpreters are available for our counselling and support services and help to overcome language barriers. This service guarantees us mobile ad-hoc assistance in case of lack of language skills and enables cross-cultural communication between our clients and employees.

The possibility to communicate linguistically is simply the basis of social work. Without them, no conversations, no understanding and no relationship between client and consultant is possible. And sometimes things have to happen really quickly. It is therefore gratifying that it is now possible to reach professional interpreters so quickly and easily. Due to its rapid availability, the video interpreting system is useful both when there is a crisis in the women’s shelter and for clarifying emergency calls. Our multilingual working day has become a little easier.