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How to talk to a doctor abroad when you don't speak the language

A child with a fever on holiday, a pain that won't go away on a business trip, your first appointment in a new country… Talking to a doctor without a shared language is unnerving, because a misunderstanding here costs more than anywhere else. The good news: with a little preparation and a few habits, translation carries most of a visit. Knowing where it is not enough is part of it too.

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First: in an emergency, don't lose time on translation

If it is life-threatening, call the emergency number first. Across the European Union it is 112; elsewhere, look the number up before you travel and save it in your phone. Emergency lines often have English-speaking staff; your address or location and the word “emergency” are enough to start.

If you can't describe where you are, share your location from your phone's map app, or read out the nearest street sign or hotel name.

Before the visit

Before you see the doctor, put a few things in writing in the local language and keep them on your phone:

  • Your complaint in short sentences: when it started, where, how bad, what makes it worse.
  • Your medicines: by the active ingredient printed on the box, not the brand. The same medicine is sold under different names in different countries.
  • Allergies and long-term conditions.
  • Past operations and whether you are pregnant.
  • Your insurance card or travel insurance policy: the number and the assistance line.

Talking through translation in the room

Short sentences are what work best. Give one piece of information per sentence, wait for the doctor's reply, then go on.

If you don't understand something, say so and ask the doctor to put it more simply. When you hear something important (a dose, a follow-up date, food to avoid), repeat it in your own words and ask “is that right?”. A yes or no is more reliable than a long explanation.

Describing pain

Words for the kind of pain (throbbing, stabbing, burning, aching) slip easily in translation. Don't rely on the word alone:

  • Point to where it hurts.
  • Give the intensity as a number from 1 to 10; doctors use that scale everywhere.
  • Say when it gets worse: walking, after eating, at night.
  • Say whether it is constant or comes and goes.

Prescriptions, medicine boxes and doses

Translating a medicine box or leaflet with your phone camera gives you an idea of how to take it. But always confirm the dose, how many times a day and whether to take it with food with the pharmacist or doctor.

When you look for the local equivalent of a medicine you brought, show the active ingredient and the milligrams. Some medicines are over the counter in one country and prescription-only in another; the pharmacist will guide you.

When you need a real interpreter

A translation app is usually enough for an ordinary consultation, a pharmacy or booking an appointment. Ask for a professional interpreter when:

  • You are signing a consent form before surgery or a procedure.
  • A serious diagnosis and treatment plan are being discussed.
  • You are deciding for a child or an elderly relative.
  • Many hospitals offer interpreters, and travel insurers have assistance lines; don't hesitate to ask.

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