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In an increasingly multicultural and cosmopolitan society, optometrists are often called upon to perform eye examinations on patients who do not speak English. All too often, what should be a simple enjoyable interaction between a patient and practitioner can be a source of stress and anguish for both parties, purely because we cannot communicate in a common language. While all of us, I'm sure, have managed to conduct an examination with the use of gestures, pointing and facial expressions, how much easier would it be if we could instruct our patients with a few phrases in their own language.