They put me up in a hotel for 10 days. Fed me 3 times a day. Checked on me twice a day. And on day 10, opened the door and I was on my own.
How I could have managed that without Google translate, I don't know. None of the doctors or nurses spoke more than a few words of English. And I could barely say hello, goodbye or thank you. (I can now!)
As you say, life would have been difficult. It was difficult even with google translate. But it made the interactions much easier on both parties involved.
I would hope that if someone was visiting my country on holiday, or to visit their relatives, and happened to get sick, that the hospital would do all they could to communicate with them and not treat them like they shouldn't even be there.
(And your example, Poland, has a pretty big influx of people right now who had different priorities than ensuring they speak the language first)
HN really is a stifling place whenever the discussion veers anywhere close to politics. I give up, you win.
Medical emergencies (or, to be honest, routine medical care) can be required for anyone, anywhere, for no particular reason. Care workers are no doubt familiar with that.
For people to want to improve the situation for hospitals doesn't seem bad if it's possible. Do you think that we cannot achieve better?
Sure, my wifes English is very good but not perfect. I accompany her so I can give quick translations to medical terms she might not know.
If we ever bring her parents here to live, guess whose job it's going to be to make sure they understand doctors? Well, mostly hers... but you get my point. The onus is on us.
I have no expectation that every hospital should be able to communicate in every language on earth.
Having optimism, and deciding to challenge existing limitations can both be useful too, though.
> I have no expectation that every hospital should be able to communicate in every language on earth.
I like the way you stated that. At first it made me think about how to improve translations. Now it's making me wonder whether there is a more universal common medical language (in many situations, I think that human care for each other doesn't require much communication at all).