Nurses Collaborate on HealthInfoTranslations.com
By Diane Moyer, MS, RN
Program Manager, Consumer Health Education
The Ohio State University Medical Center
Columbus, OH
A Source for Foreign Language Health Information
Clinicians at hospitals and clinics, nurses in schools, and librarians across the country have spent countless hours trying to locate foreign language materials for educating immigrant patients. We have found few foreign language materials produced by commercial vendors, except for certain topics in Spanish. Some vendors have reported that because the languages needed are so variable across the country and there are so many topics, it becomes cost prohibitive for them to reproduce the materials. We have been unable to find any computer programs available to do quality translations, particularly related to medical terms. Ones we have investigated translate word-for-word rather than adjusting sentence structure for the foreign language. If a resource is found, no English version may be available for translation, or the reading level may be too high for the patient to understand. Language needs change in communities from year to year, and costs of translation may be beyond any patient education department’s budget.
In May 2005, three nurses working as patient education specialists at Ohio State University Medical Center, Mount Carmel Health and OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio, launched a website, Health Information Translations www.healthinfotranslations.com, to fulfill the need for foreign language health information. To date there are nearly 170 English titles on the site, with translations in up to as many as 12 languages. The materials are easy to read and available without copyright restrictions for all to use. The health information page prints in English, followed by the foreign language page. Matching page breaks make translations easier to follow. Languages include Spanish, Somali, Russian, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Vietnamese and Arabic.
Many of the titles are related to diagnostic tests and chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. Titles will be added in the coming months to address disaster preparedness, with topics such as pandemic flu, power outages and chemical emergencies. The project team would like to create some audiovisual materials, particularly in Spanish and Somali since there are many immigrants who speak these languages but are not able to read their language. Expansion of titles and languages to the site will be dependent on securing additional funding. One option for funding is through sponsoring the site with financial support or the sharing of materials; refer to the site for more information on these options.
The generous support of Columbus Medical Association Foundation, American Medical Association Foundation, Mount Carmel Foundation, The Ohio State University Foundation, and others have made this project possible. Contact Diane Moyer, Project Lead at 614-293-3191 or email diane.moyer at osumc.edu if you have questions.
