MedlinePlus Health Information in Multiple Languages
MedlinePlus has released a multilingual feature, providing access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. This new service, linked from the MedlinePlus homepage and available directly at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/languages.html, benefits people who prefer to read consumer health information in their native language. It also helps the information professionals and health care providers who serve them.
The new collection contains over 2,500 links to information in more than 40 languages and covers nearly 250 Health Topics.
Users can navigate the new collection of health information in multiple languages either by language or by topic. In addition, a languages box with a list of language names displays on the English Health Topic pages. The language names link to information on MedlinePlus in multiple languages for that topic
You can also use the MedlinePlus search tool to find these pages. A new collection called Multiple Languages appears in the MedlinePlus search results. Look for an update to the MedlinePlus Search Tips in the near future.
In addition, an interactive world map teaches users about the number of people who speak nine of the languages in the MedlinePlus collection.
The MedlinePlus collection of health information in multiple languages is not meant to be comprehensive. Instead, as with our English and Spanish collections, MedlinePlus staff selects materials according to our quality guidelines. We also follow quality guidelines that are specific to the new collection.
NLM welcomes your comments and suggestions about MedlinePlus. A “Contact Us” link appears at the top of every MedlinePlus page.
