Are you a die-hard soccer fan and thinking about going to South Africa for the World Cup next month? It could be the trip of a lifetime, but what if you come down with an illness while you’re overseas? The language barrier could make finding care twice as difficult.
Not to worry, a popular South African pharmacy chain, Clicks, is ready for you. They are a step ahead with a simple translation system designed to bridge the language gap between pharmacists and their customers.
Clicks is breaking down the medical language barrier by using computers connected to Yahoo’s popular online translation program, Babelfish. Customers can go to any Clicks pharmacy, type their symptoms in their native language, and receive a translated recommendation from the onsite pharmacist for medications and treatment.
Although machine translation is never perfect, hopefully this new effort will help make your World Cup vacation a bit safer and more enjoyable.
