WIN! A copy of the Medicarte Translation Aid

Enter our competition to win a copy of Medicarte

“What happens if I need to go to the doctor or the hospital? I can’t speak the language so can’t explain what the problem is?” This is one of the biggest concerns for Brits considering a move abroad – but now a Brittany-based British couple have come up with a simple, practical and effective solution.

This pocket-sized, spiral-bound pack contains one page per medical complaint (some common, some less so) written in English, on the reverse of which is the corresponding French translation. This can be read by the attendant doctor or nurse in France and facilitate immediate understanding of the issue.

“Medicarte was invented and developed primarily to enable safer travel,” explains inventor and company director Dawn Cox. “It is not a concise dictionary, a phrase book nor a medical journal, but simply provides accurate, one-way communication to medical staff or emergency services should you have no other means of expressing yourself.” Developed in consultation with various medical professionals in Brittany, phrases in the pack include such explanations as “please help”, “this is an emergency” and “my friend is unconscious”, as well as translations for ailments such as head or chest pain, and phrases specific to pregnancy.

Dawn and husband Lawrence moved to Brittany from Kent in 2001 to convert a property into a gîte – and it was while Dawn’s parents were visiting that her father fell ill. Armed with a pair of scissors, some cardboard and a black marker pen she set to work, trying to think of the things her father would need to say – and so Medicarte was born. Dawn hopes that the pack will soon be widely available in pharmacies and other outlets throughout France.

We have 6 copies of Medicarte to give away. Click here to enter the competition.