Health Translations provides a wide range of health information in over 100 languages for health matters including social issues.
Topics include allergies, asthma, chronic diseases, diabetes, migrants and refugees, oral health (the mouth) pregnancy and post-natal care.
Other topics available in translation (100 languages) are running a food business, skin, stress, stroke, vitamins and minerals, weight management and women’s health.
What is Health Translations?
Health Translations is a free online library that collects and indexes multilingual health and wellbeing information produced by a range of organisations. It is comparable to a library catalogue and an easy way to find and access reliable translated health information. You can search for a certain topic and/or language and it will show you a list of available resources and languages and includes an English version.
Who is it for?
Health Translations was originally developed for health professionals to support and improve their communication with patients from culturally and linguistically (CALD) communities. It is also accessed by CALD communities directly who are looking for information in their preferred language.
How long has it existed?
The library was established in 2004 and has been refreshed and expanded since 2014.
Is it just for people in Victoria?
No. The site is accessed by health professionals and consumers all over Australia. The library is also accessed internationally, predominately in countries with large, diverse populations such as Canada, India and the U.S.
What sort of information is on the site?
Information on the site covers a broad collection of health and wellbeing topics from Asthma to Mental Health to Family Violence, Housing and Centrelink resources.
How many translated resources are on the site?
Health Translations links currently to over 22,000 resources in over 100 languages.
How do we know the information is relevant and helpful?
The website has Editorial Guidelines to ensure information is accurate and useful. We also review information on a regular basis to ensure it is up to date.
How do we collect relevant and appropriate information?
The information available on Health Translations is produced and hosted by other organisations who are peak bodies in their areas of expertise with whom the Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health (CEH) maintains a content partnership. CEH collects, indexes and adds translated materials. Some resources are also produced in-house by the CEH.
How many people use the site?
The site has an average of over 150,000 pageviews per month.
Is the website reliable?
Staff employed by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH), constantly review the site to ensure information is relevant and accessible. Our process of review has ensured that errors like broken links remain under 1% of the resources available.
Who created and manages the site?
Health Translations is a Victorian Government initiative managed and maintained by the Centre for Culture Ethnicity and Health on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services.
What are the most popular languages?
Currently the most popular languages are:
- Arabic
- Vietnamese
- Tagalog (Filipino)
Difference between Plain and Easy English
You might have heard about Plain English, so what is the difference between Plain and Easy English?
Easy English is a style of writing that is simple and concise, focuses on key information and uses words and images to help readers understand the information.
Plain English is a style of writing in which the language, structure, and presentation of a document all work together to help the reader. A document written in Plain English is easy to read, understand, and act on after just one reading.
