How will Converser™ be used by illiterate patients?
For now, patients who can’t read or write Spanish at all will need to use Converser™ passively: English-speaking healthcare workers will be able to speak to them in natural spoken Spanish, using the system’s text-to-speech features; but responses from the patients will be conveyed through gestures, by saying “sí” and “no”, etc.However, patients who can at least read simple Spanish can respond through Converser’s Translation Shortcuts facility. They can select a response phrase by pointing at it in a short list. In this response mode, no written input is necessary.Patients who can write simple Spanish can additionally use Translation Shortcuts in another way – by entering even a few letters or words into the Converser™ Input Window. Converser’s Shortcut Search facility will then instantly fetch a short list of complete possible responses beginning with the entered letters (or containing the entered keywords), from which a selection can easily be made by pointing.
For now, patients who can’t read or write Spanish at all will need to use Converser™ passively: English-speaking healthcare workers will be able to speak to them in natural spoken Spanish, using the system’s text-to-speech features; but responses from the patients will be conveyed through gestures, by saying “sí” and “no”, etc. However, patients who can at least read simple Spanish can respond through Converser’s Translation Shortcuts facility. They can select a response phrase by pointing at it in a short list. In this response mode, no written input is necessary. Patients who can write simple Spanish can additionally use Translation Shortcuts in another way – by entering even a few letters or words into the Converser™ Input Window. Converser’s Shortcut Search facility will then instantly fetch a short list of complete possible responses beginning with the entered letters (or containing the entered keywords), from which a selection can easily be made by pointing.
