The City of Tampere is testing mobile interpretation, that is, a video-based interpreting service available through smartphones, at the Hervanta and Tesoma health centres as well as at the Kisapuisto, Helapuisto, Pääskynen, Pelipuisto, Pallopuisto and Maijalanpuisto day care centres.
The video-based interpretation service is used via an application to be installed on a smartphone. Through the application, the staff at the health and day care centres can contact an interpreter who then will interpret the conversation at hand immediately. Interpretation is available in the following languages: Arabic, Burmese, Dari, Spanish, Farsi, Chinese, Pashto, Polish, French, Romanian, Somali, Sorani, Swahili, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Russian, Vietnamese and Estonian. The language offering may change.
The mobile interpretation service will be used for acute interpretation needs. For instance, day care centres can contact interpreters in everyday matters when it is essential that the parent or guardian gets informed without delay. Health centres, in turn, will use the service when a customer arrives at an appointment with a nurse for an assessment of the need for treatment without a pre-booked interpretation service.
The objective of this experiment is to obtain information on the feasibility of mobile interpretation at health and day care centres. With the help of the service, the aim is to enhance customer communications and guidance.
The experiment starts at the beginning of August and will last four months. The experiment is part of the Smart Tampere program of the City of Tampere and is conducted in cooperation with Pirkanmaa Interpretation Centre. The technical supplier of the video interpretation platform is Túlka.
Further information
Project Manager
Heli Ketola
heli.ketola@tampere.fi
Project Manager
Sanna Ahonen