How EMMA Handles Calls in Other Languages

Purpose of This Article

Many NHS practices serve patient populations with diverse language needs. This article explains how EMMA handles non-English calls, what your team receives in the inbox, and what no action is needed for.

Main Content

How Language Detection Works

EMMA detects the language a patient is speaking automatically during the call. No setup is required and the patient does not need to select a language at the start of the call.

Once EMMA identifies the language, she continues the conversation with the patient in that language — asking questions, confirming details, and capturing the request using the same structured conversation flow she uses in English.

This happens automatically for every call. Your practice team does not need to do anything differently.

Supported Languages

EMMA currently supports the following languages:

English, Arabic, Bengali, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu

This covers over 20 languages, including key South Asian, Eastern European, and widely spoken global languages relevant to NHS primary care populations across the UK.

What Arrives in Your Inbox

When a patient completes a call with EMMA in a non-English language, the submission arrives in your consultation inbox with:

• The original transcription in the patient's language
• An English translation for your team to review and action

This means your clinical and admin team do not need to arrange external translation. The translated version is included automatically with every multilingual submission.

Emergency Handling in Other Languages

EMMA's emergency detection — Red Flag — operates across every language she supports. If a patient describes emergency symptoms in any supported language, EMMA responds appropriately: advising them to call 999 or 111 and offering a transfer to reception or form capture.

All safety overrides apply equally regardless of the language being spoken.

SOFIA and Multilingual Calls

If a call drops mid-conversation in a non-English language, SOFIA sends the patient an SMS invite to continue their request in writing. The SOFIA journey also operates across all supported languages, ensuring patients are not disadvantaged by call quality issues regardless of the language they are using.

What Your Practice Needs to Do

Nothing. Multilingual support is fully automated. Your team does not need to set anything up, configure any language options, or take any different action when handling submissions from non-English-speaking patients.

If a patient calls and speaks a language EMMA does not support, EMMA will do her best to assist. If she cannot proceed effectively, the call will be transferred to your reception team.

Step-by-Step Instructions

No steps are required. Multilingual call handling is fully automated. Submissions from non-English calls arrive in your inbox in the same way as English submissions, with an English translation included.

Troubleshooting

A patient says EMMA did not understand them. EMMA supports over 20 languages but not every language spoken by NHS patients. If the patient is speaking a language not on the supported list, EMMA may not be able to assist effectively and the call should transfer to reception. Check the call recording in the dashboard to review what happened. If the patient was speaking a supported language and EMMA still struggled, contact support@quantumloopai.com with the call details.

A submission arrived in our inbox but we cannot read the language it is in. Every multilingual submission includes an English translation alongside the original transcription. If you are seeing a submission without an English translation, contact support@quantumloopai.com.

We are not sure whether a patient's language is supported. The full list of supported languages is in this article. If a patient's language is not on the list, EMMA may still attempt to assist but cannot guarantee a structured conversation. The call will transfer to reception if EMMA cannot proceed.

A patient called in a supported language but the submission does not contain a translation. Contact support@quantumloopai.com with the date and approximate time of the call so the team can investigate.

FAQs

Does the patient need to select their language at the start of the call? No. EMMA detects the patient's language automatically from the way they speak. There is no language selection menu or prompt.

What happens if a patient switches between languages during a call? EMMA will do her best to follow the conversation. Where a patient mixes languages, EMMA continues using the language she identified at the start of the call. If the call becomes unclear, she may ask the patient to repeat themselves or the call may transfer to reception.

Are all features available in every language? EMMA's core call flows — including medical requests, administrative requests, routine care, and safety overrides — are available across all supported languages. Some specific features may have limited language coverage. If you have a question about a specific use case, contact your account manager.

Will NINA also support multiple languages? Multilingual support is planned for NINA. It is currently live for EMMA. See: What's Coming Next: Platform Roadmap Overview (article 5.5).

Is there an additional cost for multilingual support? No. Multilingual support is included as part of the standard EMMA service at no additional cost.

What if a patient calls in a language not on the supported list? EMMA will attempt to assist. If she cannot proceed effectively, the call will transfer to your reception team. Reception can then handle the call using their normal processes, including any existing translation arrangements your practice has in place.