Professional terminology plays an important role in communication between experts, but for a reader who is unfamiliar with the subject, specialised terminology can be confusing, even frustrating. Lingsoft has developed a solution for improving the accessibility of professional language.
Every one of us is an expert in a field. Whether it is crocheting or rheumatology, recipes or insurance premiums, each field has its own, specific terminology that plays a critical role in communication: Terms contain plenty of information in a concise form, facilitating communication between experts. However, problems arise when an uninformed reader tries to understand the language of a certain field: a cardiologist's statement regarding a patient's health is as clear as dishwater to the patient.
Lingsoft has developed a solution for making professional language more accessible to new groups of readers. The solution is a browser-based reader tool that identifies terminology in text and provides additional information about the terminology, such as synonyms, definitions, images, and videos. Instead of having to interpret a statement word-for-word using Google, a dictionary, and the help of friends and family, the patient can be provided with reliable information with a centralised and fast solution. An understandable and accessible message also empowers the reader: it reduces ignorance and uncertainty, improves adherence to treatment, and reduces the need to contact customer services in cases where it is not necessary.
The solution can be used as an independent web app, but it best serves the reader in an environment where these texts are typically viewed. The technology can be integrated, for example, into a website. The solution is based on Lingsoft’s structural analysis, which enables the identification of a word in all its inflected forms. The tool does not require linking explanations for terms manually with hyperlinks; instead, the solution finds the term directly in the text. The solution is multilingual, which allows it to be used for translating key terms into foreign languages.
The solution was developed through the joint Nordic Bridging the Language Gap project in collaboration with Lingsoft’s partners Interverbum Technology and Danish Copenhagen Translations. In addition to the companies participating in the project, the project was funded by Business Finland (formerly Tekes) and Nordic Innovation.