When your situation needs clear translation

SelectWisely gets special orders in many languages.

"Ik ben allergisch voor melk en alle melkproducten (boter, yoghurt, kaas)."

Say again? If you are in the Netherlands, where cheese is a staple, you might want to be able to say in Dutch: "I'm allergic to milk and all milk products (butter, yogurt, cheese)."

That's the declaration on the Dutch version of a SelectWisely wallet-sized laminated translation card, made for travelers with food allergies and other health concerns.

The New Jersey company produces cards in 15 languages, including French, Spanish, German, Russian, Chinese, and English. The Dutch cards fall under the special-order language category, which includes Arabic, Hebrew, Vietnamese, and Hindi.

If pronunciation is a problem, you can point to the card's drawings of milk, cheese, and butter with red slashes through them. Other cards show nuts, fish, shellfish, and meat, and there's also a line for travelers with other health problems, such as diabetes and asthma.

If you can't find your language or health issue on a preprinted card, you can order customized cards to say anything you want.

Most cards cost $5.50-$9.50 and can be ordered at selectwisely.com or by calling 888-396-9260.

DIANE DANIEL