Pocketalk announces GDPR compliance and Pocketalk Plus as it transitions from hardware-centric business to global solution

Pocketalk, the global leader in connecting conversations and removing language barriers, today announces GDPR compliance and its new product for healthcare settings the Pocketalk Plus. The announcement comes following the pandemic, which inspired Pocketalk to focus its efforts on connecting patients with their healthcare providers.

Pocketalk is now the first GDPR-compliant handheld translation device and ready to be used in clinical settings, giving caregivers and patients the ability to speak directly and instantaneously. This elevated communication will deepen patient and caregiver rapport, leading to increased satisfaction for both parties, greater comprehension on diagnosis and treatments, and most importantly, lower rates of readmission.

The clarity, speed and convenience offered by Pocketalk cannot be replicated by translation lines or interpretive services. These existing systems of translation come with long wait times and can be expensive for healthcare providers. Pocketalk has the ability to dramatically reduce non-medical costs in translation and interpretive services, and offers immediate communication. With a combination of speed and direct communication, Pocketalk minimises scheduling requirements, reduces stress, and ultimately gets patients the care they need to move on to the next phase of treatment.

With its launch in 2018, Pocketalk was originally designed as a travel-friendly practical communication tool – but when first responders aboard the Diamond Princess cruise line had to quarantine in Yokohama at the start of the pandemic, Pocketalk took action. It donated devices to enhance communication between first responders and passengers, reducing the interpreters’ exposure to COVID-19. This incident, as well as rapidly increasing cases, inspired Pocketalk to pivot its focus from world travelers to first responders and healthcare workers in multilingual communities.

The result was the development of the Pocketalk Plus, a critical tool for medical professionals and first responders, arming them with quick, accurate translations in the field.

The Pocketalk Plus boasts a large screen that is readable from 6 feet of distance, a strong speaker and a noise canceling microphone - perfect for healthcare professionals to use in a clinical setting. Other features of the device include:

• Translations for 82 languages
• The ability to seamlessly provide audio readout in native language
• A camera that translates text and written words
• Built-in data (no need for wifi)
• Access anytime and anywhere – slipping easily into a lab coat, Pocketalk is completely portable
• Quick and easy to sanitise - just one swipe of an alcohol wipe and you’re able to move from patient to patient

Pocketalk Plus is available now for £349.00

Nori Matsuda, Pocketalk’s CEO, Pocketalk said: “Our mission is now an international one: to remove language barriers and connect all humans through conversations -- the ones happening in all sorts of environments: medicine, education, logistics, personal. We’re now speaking in one “common” language — a necessity in a world where, as the past two years have shown us, we share one common biology. We believe that everyone should be able to communicate easily across every corner of the globe which is why we have created these new products to cater to everyone’s needs.” 

Since Pocketalk launched in 2017, the company has been a leader in the handheld translator market with its Pocketalk Classic and Pocketalk S devices. Pocketalk has connected people of all backgrounds through language translation and the engine has been honed by over half a billion translations achieving an unparalleled level of speed and accuracy. To date the company has sold nearly one million Pocketalk handheld devices.

The Pocketalk products and services are available to purchase on the website. For more information, visit the online newsroom and follow Pocketalk on Instagram and Facebook.