St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne has launched an upgrade to the Talk to Me language interpretation app first implemented in 2015. St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne cultural inclusion lead Monita Mascitti-Meuter explains how the original app has been improved, and how it is improving the patient and clinical experience.

Imagine this – you’re in your seventies and have recently migrated to Australia. You speak three languages, but it's a little late to learn fluent English. You make a real effort, but due to your physical ailments, you have to enter into nursing care, away from your family and into an environment where no one speaks your language.

Recognising the importance of ethnocentric care is imperative within the healthcare setting, accommodating the linguistic needs of those who are most vulnerable. However, the financial burden of requesting interpreter support over an extended period of time can be demanding. Interpreters are generally called in at vital points of care, but for the hours and days in between, residents are often left feeling lost in a foreign world.