HEALTHCARE ORGANISATION IS NAMED CHAMPION IN LANGUAGE TRANSLATION
Living Well Partnership has been chosen in recognition of efforts to leverage accessible translation to address challenges
 
Pocketalk, the pioneer in AI-supported and secure language translation solutions, is proud to announce the second annual Pocketalk Impact Awards, honouring community leaders, organisations, and initiatives that embrace language diversity and create bridges of understanding that fuel meaningful connections.
 
Living Well Partnership is the winner of the Bridge Builder Award for its NIHR research in partnership with SCALE Innovation. Non-English speaking patients in the UK encounter numerous challenges throughout their healthcare experiences; Living Well alone serves a diverse population of 45,000, representing up to 70 languages.
 
In April 2024, SCALE received a grant, and together with Living Well Partnership, has been researching and testing the benefits of using Pocketalk in a primary care setting. This initiative represents a significant opportunity to generate quantitative, real-world evidence on how Pocketalk can mitigate these barriers and positively transform patient care.
 
“Building on last year’s success, we are thrilled to recognise more leaders who are advancing translation solutions in their communities and organisations,” says Joe Miller, Head of Pocketalk’s US Business and CEO of Europe. 
 
“The ability to facilitate real-time, reliable, and accessible communication has been key to our progress. We owe this success to the champions who have integrated Pocketalk technology into their resources. We hope these awards inspire others to create practices that make all languages easily accessible.”
 
Through the Impact Awards, Pocketalk recognises individuals and organisations across sectors such as education, government, and healthcare, who are actively utilising technology to hold conversations across native languages. In 2024, the awards will also highlight communities, cities, and regions that are driving innovation to meet the needs of diverse populations and uphold language accessibility standards.
 
The full list of global winners are:
 
COMMUNITY BUILDER OF THE YEAR AWARD
 
Honoree: Amanda Gonzalez, Jefferson County Clerk, Colorado
Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Amanda Gonzalez has been recognized with the prestigious Community Builder of the Year award for her instrumental work in building inclusivity and trust in her community. As the first Latina Clerk and Recorder for Jefferson County, CO, Gonzalez has expanded the county’s use of Pocketalk and Ventana, the centralised data-management dashboard, throughout the government to make every resident feel welcome. The county now uses the devices to help residents with government documents and elections. 
 
Honoree: Nicolas Flamand, Project Manager, Caisse d’allocations familiales - Normandie, France 
Project Manager of the Normandie branch of Caisse d'Allocations Familiales (CAF) Nicolas Flamand has been recognised with the prestigious Community Builder of the Year award for his remarkable efforts in breaking language barriers and fostering inclusivity for families across the region. Through its innovative use of Pocketalk translation devices, CAF Normandie ensures that all residents, regardless of their first language, can easily and confidently navigate essential services. By empowering multilingual communication, Nicolas Flamand and CAF Normandie exemplify a commitment to making government services truly accessible to all.
 
BRIDGE BUILDER AWARD
 
Honoree: Niagara County Healthcare, NY
Niagara County Healthcare is the recipient of the Bridge Builder Award for its dedication to advancing patient experience. Known for their top-tier care models, the county has become a healthcare destination for many, including growing local refugee communities. During the pandemic, it faced the critical task of vaccinating its multilingual population. Distributing HIPAA-compliant Pocketalk translation devices during the mass vaccination efforts proved vital for efficient and clear communication between healthcare providers and patients. Since then, Niagara County Health has continued to utilise Pocketalk Plus handheld devices and Ventana, ensuring patients and staff can have effective and private conversations in over 85 languages.  
 
Honoree: Living Well Partnership, Southampton, U.K.
Living Well Partnership is the winner of the Bridge Builder Award for their NIHR research in partnership with SCALE Innovation. Since receiving a grant in April 2024, SCALE and Living Well Partnership have been researching and testing the benefits of using Pocketalk in a primary care setting. Non-English speaking patients encounter numerous challenges throughout their healthcare experiences. This initiative represents a significant opportunity to generate quantitative real-world evidence on how Pocketalk can mitigate these barriers and transform patient care.
 
YOUTH CHANGEMAKER AWARD
 
Honoree: Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Public Schools is the recipient of the Youth Changemaker Award for the significant work being done to foster inclusion among its student population. As the largest of 43 school districts in Allegheny County and second largest in Pennsylvania, the district has over 20,000 students. The staff have made it their mission to accelerate student success, eliminate racial disparities in achievement, create a positive culture, and encourage innovation. Pocketalk solutions have allowed the district to better meet its mission by bridging language gaps for students, guaranteeing each student has access to the same opportunities. 
 
Honoree: Verbundschule Stuttgart-Rohr School, Stuttgart, Germany
Pocketalk is honored to present the Youth Changemaker Award for Germany to Verbundschule Rohr in Stuttgart for its exceptional commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and student empowerment. This innovative school exemplifies how education can drive social change. Verbundschule Rohr participates in initiatives like "Schools Without Racism - Schools With Courage" and maintains partnerships with impactful programs such as Change Writers and "Pedal for Better Learning" with Erasmus+. These projects and their use of Pocketalk, not only enhance learning experiences but also instill values of tolerance, collaboration, and global understanding among students.
 
Honoree: Upper Batley High School, Batley, England 
Upper Batley High School is the winner of the UK Youth Changemaker Award for their hard work to promote language inclusivity. Over 1.7 million students in the UK and Germany speak a different language than the national language at home and this number is expected to grow. Finding ways to communicate with students who do not speak English has become essential not only to ensure student academic success but to allow students and teachers to communicate day-to-day. Thanks to their integration of Pocketalk devices in classrooms, one student and teacher were brought nearly to tears as they were finally able to communicate. 
 
NEW: LANGUAGE VISIONARY AWARD
State Honoree: Michigan DMV
The Michigan DMV is the first state recipient of the Language Visionary Award. Pocketalk has given DMV team members a way to quickly translate a conversation two-ways and trust that they’re getting accurate information. The DMV’s implementation of Pocketalk translation technology has created a faster DMV experience and has allowed employees to feel more able to serve their community. 
 
City Honoree: City of New Orleans, LA
New Orleans is the first city recognised for the Language Visionary Award. The city has proven that every conversation and interaction has value through their widespread use of Pocketalk. For community members, tourists and businesses, using Pocketalk has allowed for seamless and spontaneous communication in an area home to over one million residents, and visited by nearly 18 million tourists annually. Tourists have had more welcoming experiences exploring the city, businesses have been able to broaden their reach, and residents have created more inclusivity within their diverse communities. 
 
European City Honoree: Chemnitz, Germany
The city of Chemnitz, Germany, has been honored as the European City Winner for the Language Visionary Award in recognition of its commitment to promoting inclusivity and breaking down language barriers. By embracing Pocketalk, the Chemnitz community has been more able to access essential services and connect with each other. This award celebrates Chemnitz’s dedication to inspiring acceptance and unity through innovative communication.
 
“Connecting with communities across the globe is easier than ever, but our ability to connect is undermined if we cannot converse in real time,” says Jess O’Dwyer, Pocketalk General Manager of the EU and U.K. “Pocketalk has made it possible for meaningful conversations to span diverse communities and language barriers. We are proud to have partners who are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology solutions to facilitate conversations anywhere, anytime.”
 
Pocketalk is welcoming a world of conversations through reliable, efficient and secure translation. More stories and information can be found at pocketalk.com.