At the doctor

The appointment is the hardest room, and the one Loquela was built for. Here is what a good one looks like, start to finish.

The night before

Prepare the discussion. Ten minutes, at your own table, with the questions written down while nobody is waiting. See Preparing for an appointment.

Arriving

Open at the doctor from the home screen.

If explaining the situation is the awkward part, Introduce me plays a short introduction, so the receptionist or the doctor understands without anyone having to find the words.

During

When the doctor speaks, tap Listen, then tap again when they stop. Their words appear in English with the translation underneath.

The original stays on the screen. If someone in the room speaks both languages, they can check it. A translation is never presented as the final word.

To answer, either tap a prepared item, choose a phrase, or type. Whatever is chosen is spoken aloud in English.

If they get stuck, the suggested replies at the top of the phrases list offer a few possible answers to what was just asked.

About interpreters

Loquela does not replace an interpreter, and it is not a medical interpreter. In many public health systems a professional interpreter is free and it is their right — ask for one.

Loquela is for everything around and in between: the reception desk, the waiting room, the pharmacy afterwards, the questions that come up at home that evening.

Afterwards

Anything that must be remembered — a diagnosis, a dose, a date — should come from the clinician's own written record. That is the real one.

Loquela replaces a conversation. It is not a substitute for what a doctor writes down, and it should not be relied on as a record of what was said.