Survival Kit. The Emergency Room. Phrases for Daily Routine Situations.

ENIt is the middle of the night.

ENSomeone you love is not well.

ENOr maybe... it is you.

ENAnd you are walking through those doors...

ENinto a place where everything moves fast...

ENwhere everyone speaks quickly...

ENand where the words you need... feel very far away.

ENThat moment... is one of the hardest any immigrant will ever face.

ENBut you are going to be ready for it.

ENAnd today... we are going to make sure of that.

ENWelcome... to Your English Toolbox.

ENI am Miranda.

ENThis is the Basic Survival Kit — your slow English series for real life situations.

ENEvery episode... one real situation... five essential sentences... and one rescue phrase.

ENThe words you need... exactly when you need them.

ENToday's situation... is the emergency room.

ENWant to take your learning even further?

ENFind...

ENYour English Toolbox... on YouTube...

ENto watch every episode... with subtitles.

ENIt is the best way to support this project...

ENand we truly... truly appreciate it.

ENThe emergency room is different from every other situation in this series.

ENAt the bank... you can take your time.

ENAt the pharmacy... you can point at the box.

ENBut in the emergency room... time matters.

ENAnd the words you use... can directly affect the care you receive.

ENSo today... we are going to be very precise.

ENHere are your five sentences for the emergency room.

ENListen... carefully.

ENAnd then... repeat each one... out loud.

ENSentence one.

ENI need help — this is an emergency.

ENSay those six words... and everything stops.

ENEvery nurse, every doctor, every receptionist in every hospital in the English-speaking world...

ENis trained to respond to exactly those words.

ENYou do not need to explain more.

ENNot yet.

ENThose six words... open every door.

ENSentence two.

ENThe pain is here... and it started about ago.

ENWhen you say this sentence... point to where it hurts.

ENYou do not need the medical word for the part of your body.

ENPointing plus this sentence... gives the doctor exactly what they need first.

ENLocation.

ENDuration.

ENThat is all they are asking for... in that first moment.

ENYou can do this.

ENEven at 2am.

ENEven when you are frightened.

ENSentence three.

ENI am allergic to — please make a note of that.

ENThis sentence could save your life.

ENAllergies to medications, to anaesthetics, to certain substances —

ENthe emergency room team needs this information immediately.

ENPlease make a note of that... is the phrase that creates urgency without panic.

ENIt tells the medical team: this is important.

ENWrite it down.

ENNow.

ENPractice this one... with the specific word you need... before you ever need it.

ENSentence four.

ENCan you tell me what is happening, please?

ENI need to understand.

ENThis sentence is your right.

ENIn a busy emergency room, doctors and nurses talk to each other, move quickly, make decisions.

ENAnd sometimes... you are lying on a bed... with no idea what is being decided about you.

ENThis sentence stops that.

ENEvery good medical professional will pause... and explain.

ENYou have every right... to know what is happening to your own body.

ENSentence five.

ENIs there someone who can translate for me?

ENI want to say something very clearly about this sentence.

ENAsking for a translator is not giving up.

ENIt is not a sign that your English has failed.

ENIt is one of the most intelligent things you can do... in a high-stakes medical situation.

ENMost hospitals in English-speaking countries have access to telephone interpreters...

ENin dozens of languages... available around the clock.

ENYou are allowed to ask for this.

ENYou are always... allowed to ask for this.

ENNow... the rescue sentence.

ENThis is the single phrase that works...

ENwhen everything else disappears from your mind.

ENWhen the fear is loud... and the words are gone.

ENWrite this one down.

ENI need a translator — is that possible?

ENSay it again... out loud... right now.

ENI need a translator — is that possible?

ENSeven words.

ENCalm.

ENClear.

ENImpossible to misunderstand.

ENAnd in most hospitals... the answer will be yes.

ENThat yes... changes everything.

ENLet me tell you about Fatima.

ENFatima moved from Casablanca to Birmingham three years ago.

ENOne night, her son — four years old — woke up with a fever of forty degrees.

ENShe drove to the hospital... alone... at midnight.

ENThe doctor asked about his vaccination history.

ENFatima knew the word in Arabic.

ENIn French.

ENIn Spanish.

ENBut not... in English.

ENShe felt the word disappear from her mind completely.

ENAnd in that silence... she felt like she had failed her son.

ENShe had not failed him.

ENShe used sentence five.

ENIs there someone who can translate for me?

ENA nurse brought someone who spoke basic Arabic.

ENThe information was shared.

ENThe treatment was given.

ENHer son was home by morning... fever gone... sleeping peacefully.

ENFatima told me afterwards...

ENI felt like the worst mother in the world because I did not know the word for vaccine.

ENBut not knowing a word in a foreign language...

ENdoes not make you a bad mother.

ENIt makes you... human.

ENAnd asking for help... made you... a brilliant one.

ENLet's close... with what you have today.

ENOne: I need help — this is an emergency.

ENTwo: The pain is here... and it started about ago.

ENThree: I am allergic to — please make a note of that.

ENFour: Can you tell me what is happening, please?

ENI need to understand.

ENFive: Is there someone who can translate for me?

ENAnd your rescue sentence: I need a translator — is that possible?

ENYou are not someone who freezes... in an emergency.

ENYou are someone who knows exactly what to say...

ENand exactly... when to ask for help.

ENThose are not two different things.

ENThey are both... the same kind of courage.

ENAnd you have it.

ENYou have always had it.

ENIf you made it this far...

ENyou are truly committed... to your English.

ENPlease head over to YouTube...

ENsearch for...

ENYour English Toolbox...

ENand subscribe.

ENYour support there... means the world to us...

ENand keeps this podcast... growing.

ENI am Miranda.

ENAnd I will see you... in the next one.