An AI medical scribe for French and English consultations
French-speaking patients often switch to English for a word or two, or consult fully in French with a clinician who charts in English. French is among the languages ClearPass detects automatically. It transcribes the conversation and writes the clinical note in English; test it on your own patients in the trial.
False friends that change the meaning
French and English share much medical vocabulary, which helps transcription, but a few words mean something else. 'Angine' is a sore throat or tonsillitis, not angina. 'Une crise' can be an attack of almost anything, from asthma to a seizure to a panic episode. 'Avoir de la tension' usually means high blood pressure. 'Un rhume' is a cold, while 'la grippe' is used loosely for flu-like illness.
A transcript keeps the French word. The risk is in the English note, if the draft translates a false friend literally. Read the history section with these words in mind, and say your clinical interpretation aloud during the visit: 'so a sore throat for three days, no chest pain'.
Numbers and units
French numbers above sixty are compound: soixante-dix is seventy, quatre-vingts is eighty, quatre-vingt-dix is ninety. They are long and easy to mishear. The decimal mark is a comma, spoken as 'virgule'.
Many French speakers give blood pressure in centimetres of mercury, as in 'quatorze-neuf', which means 140 over 90. Blood glucose may be quoted in grams per litre rather than millimoles. The numbers check marks figures in the note that were never said, but it does not convert units. Restate values in the units you chart in, aloud, so the transcript supports the note.
- Restate 'quatorze-huit' as 140 over 80 before moving on.
- Say the unit with every lab value.
- Spell out drug names that differ between markets, or read the generic name from the box.
Accents and dialects
French is spoken with many accents across the world, and vocabulary differs between communities. Detection is automatic, and mixing with English mid-sentence is supported, but no accuracy figure is claimed here. The fair test is your own clinic: transcribe several French-speaking patients in the trial, read the transcripts, and decide whether the correction effort is acceptable.
What you get after the visit
The note is written in English in your chosen structure: SOAP, Full headings, Follow-up, New patient, Procedure, Problem list or your own headings. From the same consultation you can draft a referral letter, patient instructions, a sick note or a medical report, all in English. If the patient needs instructions in French, explain them yourself or have them translated.
Anglicisms and French medical abbreviations
Bilingual patients may drop English words into French sentences ('j'ai fait un check-up', 'mon rendez-vous de follow-up'), and French speakers use their own abbreviations: AVC for stroke, IRM for MRI, NFS for a full blood count, HTA for hypertension. If a French abbreviation appears in the draft, make sure the English note uses the term you chart with.
Medicines are another source of mismatch, because brand names differ between markets. Ask for the molecule name, or photograph the box, and correct the draft if the brand was misheard.
What ClearPass does not do
- It does not replace your judgement. Every note is an AI draft that you review and correct before it is used.
- It is not a medical device and does not make clinical decisions. It is a documentation aid.
- It does not connect to your EMR. The note is copy-ready text that pastes into any system.
- It does not write the note in French. The note and letters come out in English.
Privacy
Clinical note content is not stored on ClearPass servers: it is processed to write the note, then discarded. Consultation audio is transcribed and discarded, never stored. Your note history stays in your browser, on your device, and you choose how long it is kept. Common identifiers are removed from typed and transcribed text before it reaches the AI; that is a best-effort safeguard, so leave names, ID numbers and file numbers out where you can. Processing goes through the AI providers named in our Privacy Policy, which sets out exactly what each one receives and how long it keeps it. ClearPass does not sign HIPAA business associate agreements today.
Questions
Will it convert blood pressure given in centimetres of mercury?
No. It writes what was said. Restate the reading aloud in the units you chart in, for example 140 over 90, and the note will carry that value.
Can I photograph a French lab report?
Yes. Remove identifiers first, then check every value and unit in the note against the page, since glucose and other results may be in different units from yours.
Is French officially supported?
French is among the languages detected automatically. The site does not publish accuracy figures for it; try it with your own patients during the trial.
Will the note be in French?
No. The note and every letter are written in English.
Can a consultation switch between French and English?
Yes. Language switches, including mid-sentence, are expected.
What does ClearPass cost?
The 7-day trial is free, needs no card and simply ends after 7 days, with no automatic charge. After that there is one plan: $78 a month or $858 a year, with every visit transcribed.
Try it on your next clinic day
The full product for 7 days, with no card and no automatic charge. Then $78 a month or $858 a year. Pricing details.
Start free — 7 days, no card