I have to say this site is very, very easy to use and offers some valuable tools for English speaking types who live overseas or international travelers who manage serious life threatening food allergies. I checked out the site since I’m on mission to help my friend with her upcoming December travel to Asia in finding chef cards, emergency action plans, etc. Brokerfish’s food allergy translation cards are worthy! If you’re an expat, you’ll want to check out the site in general.
The name of the company is a hoot: Brokerfish! I don’t know why, but it just makes me giggle. Chuckles aside, the company is global and helps expatriates find health insurance. I worked overseas back in the day and trust me, when they say you feel like a fish out of water, well, you do and in my case I looked it too! Brokerfish’s goal is, “to simplify complex insurance jargon by providing educational resources designed to impartially help and advise people on making an informed purchasing decision in addition to providing tips and support on how to manage your International Health Insurance policy once in effect”. Phew, all of that in one sentence!
My friend is traveling to Thailand and I’m thrilled to turn her onto this card..it simply states, “I am having an emergency, please call an ambulance.” in Thai.
In serving their expatriate community with food allergies, they chose to offer up the international food allergy translation cards. I found the option of being able to download a food allergen specific translation card via PDF or PNG to be fabulous! For example, my father does not have Adobe on his computer and having download options is perfect. Also, they offer cards (see above) that simply asks for an ambulance to be called! Which is personally one of my fears: not being able to ask for help in the right language.
The languages available are…
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- French
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Spanish
- Arabic
- Thai
I can see the value in using these cards in the US with family who may speaks any of the offered languages! I did email Brokerfish and selfishly asked about sesame seeds being added as an allergen choice and they said they have it on their to do list! The also promised to always keep their food allergy translation cards free–available to everyone!Happy Post Halloween. I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy Halloween. My daughter’s Halloween party at school was nut free but nevertheless, Halloween makes me nervous!
p.s. My reviews are from my own opinionated self, I do not accept payment to say nice things (or mean things)!
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One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Another company, http://www.selectwisely.com/index.htm also has more languages, plus other conditions. It also includes an emergency card. A Canadian company http://www.dietarycard.com/ has Chef alerts available to print for free, once you register for a free membership. Again, this site has many more languages than Brokerfish.
Hi Ann, Yes, I’ve blogged about Select Wisely and their large selection of languages, but I am very unfamiliar with the Canadian company, I will check them out. Thanks for sharing!!!
I’ve checked out these cards, too, and recommend them on my site as well. I emailed them and asked about other translations and options, and they informed me they were working on all those things. They are even working on a set of English cards. All in all, I am pleased to know there are companies out there willing and able to provide such services. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
It is nice to see food allergies offered for free. I understand the need for a private company to charge, so they can pay the bills, but this is a great and wonderful service! I’m sooo self focused, I forgot about cards in English! Glad you are thinking!
I agree 100%. I am glad they are offering these for free. I always love when people do the unexpected and provide something at no cost to others simply to be a help. It’s a huge blessing, that’s for sure!
Great resources! I will add these to my collection as well. I have so many clients who limit their traveling out of fear of exposure to allergens-this is a definate must!
I have so many clients who limit their traveling due to fear of allergens. This is a must. Thank you for sharing! I will pass on the info 🙂
Thanks, Caroline, as I was not aware of these cards. I did print the emergency card. Also, thank you Ann for the tip on select wisely, which offers sesame as an option. These cards certainly will add to our peace of mind as I travel with two family members with food allergies.
The Emergency cards are my favorite. Also Kim, ask your allergist about how many auto-injectors should you carry and carry a letter stating why you are carrying these in case you hit some tough security at the different airports. I’ve had to use a letter twice…and that was domestically!