[Ltg] LTG Seminar [Harold Somers, Feb. 7, E6A 357, 11 am]

[Rolf Schwitter]

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 LTG Seminar
 - see: http://www.clt.mq.edu.au/Events/Seminars.html

 Monday, February 7, 2005 at 11am
 Macquarie Uni, E6A 357
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Title: Using language technology to help patients with limited English
Speaker: Harold Somers
Immigrants, asylum seekers and other speakers of minority languages often 
have a level of English which is sufficient for their day-to-day needs, but 
is inadequate for more formal and stressful situations like a visit to the 
doctor. There is plentiful evidence that communication difficulties are the 
single biggest source of dissatisfaction with health services on the part of 
patients, and are equally recognised as a major problem by health-care 
providers. CANES (Computer Assistance for Non-English Speakers) is a group 
of projects aiming to address this problem through the use of a range of 
language technologies, some sophisticated, others less so. As a 
proof-of-concept, we have been concentrating on the problems of Somali 
speakers with respiratory complaints, though we are currently extending our 
work to other languages and situations.

This talk will first present some details of the problem in general, and 
will then discuss the areas in which language technology can be used, and 
explore which technologies best fit which problems.

Since the aim of the talk is (partly) to identify areas of possible 
collaboration with colleagues at CLT, it will concentrate on already 
on-going projects, and on aspects of the overall concept that offer 
tractable ideas for immediate development over the next 8 months here at 
Macquarie.