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Current Status

Native multi-lingual search (automatic language detection, cross-linguistic matching, translated results) is on the OMOPHub roadmap but not yet available as a dedicated API endpoint. Today, OMOPHub’s search index and semantic search model operate in English only. Concept names, synonyms, and embeddings are indexed in English.

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Multilingual Search with AI Agents (Available Now)

The most effective way to search OMOPHub in any language today is through an AI agent using MCP (Model Context Protocol). AI models like Claude and GPT natively understand 100+ languages and can transparently translate between your language and OMOPHub’s English-based search. How it works:
  1. You ask in your language (e.g., Spanish: “Buscar diabetes mellitus tipo 2 en SNOMED”)
  2. The AI agent translates to English and calls search_concepts or semantic_search
  3. OMOPHub returns results (English concept names + language-independent codes)
  4. The agent presents results in your language
This works with any language the AI model supports - no configuration needed.
To get started with MCP, see the MCP Server setup guide. Once configured, simply ask your AI assistant questions in any language.

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What Works Today (All Languages)

Even without AI agents, these approaches work regardless of language:

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Search by code (language-independent)

Vocabulary codes are universal. Searching by SNOMED code, ICD-10 code, or OMOP concept ID works in any context: 
# SNOMED code for Type 2 diabetes - works regardless of language
curl "https://api.omophub.com/v1/concepts/search?query=44054006" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

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Retrieve synonyms (may include translations)

The OMOP concept_synonym table stores multilingual synonyms when available in the vocabulary release. Retrieve them with: 
# Get concept with synonyms (may include Spanish, French, etc.)
curl "https://api.omophub.com/v1/concepts/201826?include_synonyms=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
Via FHIR $lookup, synonyms are returned as designations: 
curl "https://fhir.omophub.com/fhir/r4/CodeSystem/$lookup?\
system=http://snomed.info/sct&code=44054006&property=designation" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

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FHIR $validate-code (language-independent)

Code validation works with any code regardless of language - it checks existence, not display text: 
curl "https://fhir.omophub.com/fhir/r4/CodeSystem/$validate-code?\
url=http://snomed.info/sct&code=44054006" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

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Limitations

  • Text search: Queries like “diabetes mellitus tipo 2” (Spanish) will not match English concept names in the search index
  • Semantic search: The embedding model is English-only - non-English queries produce poor vector matches
  • SNOMED editions: OMOPHub serves the OHDSI OMOP vocabulary release (based on SNOMED International). Regional editions (e.g., SNOMED CT Spanish Edition) are not available separately
  • Synonym coverage: Not all concepts have multilingual synonyms - availability depends on the OHDSI vocabulary release