Bridging the Language Gap in Public Health
To provide useful and current public health information, CDC translates its communication products into many different languages. CDC provides health and safety messages in several languages during emergencies, natural disasters, severe weather, and disease outbreaks.
The diversity of our nation and the role of CDC as a global leader in promoting public health require communication in many languages.
CDC en Español
CDC’s Spanish language Web site, CDC en Español, supports efforts to provide accurate, up-to-date information in Spanish on health and safety issues relevant to Spanish-speaking people.
CDC en Español reaches out to the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. and abroad with health promotion and disease prevention messages. CDC en Español is a reliable source of health information for more than 16 million Hispanics in the U.S who go online.
When CDC en Español was originally released to the public in March 2000, the Web site had only a few pages on environmental health and HIV/AIDS. Eight years later, Internet users have access to hundreds of pages in Spanish on health and safety topics including
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Asthma
- Immunizations
- Emergency preparedness
Many pages include downloadable brochures, guidelines, and checklists that healthcare providers and public health professionals can print and distribute.
Modeled after the popular CDC.gov Web site, CDC en Español now offers a free email subscription service, which allows Internet users to receive Spanish-language updates by e-mail when new information is available on the Web site. Subscribers automatically receive updated information on the topics of interest they select.
CDC en Español also offers interactive features that highlight current issues, events and health topics of particular interest to Spanish-speaking audiences. The site offers easy access to CDC data and statistics, recent news items, publications and tools, and new media such as e-cards and podcasts.
Salmonella Outbreak Communication in Spanish
As part of the summer 2008 investigation of foodborne illness from Salmonella Saintpaul, CDC and its public health partners surveyed hundreds of well and ill people about what foods they had consumed. The questionnaire was translated into Spanish since the Hispanic population was a key component of the research. CDC en Español also mirrored the frequently updated Salmonella information posted on CDC.gov. This multi-language outreach was a critical part of the outbreak investigation.
Health Information in Multiple Languages
CDC strives to spread health and safety promotion and prevention messages to US immigrants and visitors, representing many cultures, in their own language when possible.
The agency supports translation to over 75 languages which include the top 50 most spoken in the U.S. The main languages provided include French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Italian, Russian and German. CDC brochures, posters, slide presentations, and Web pages have been translated into different languages on topics such as influenza, handwashing tips, E. coli, SARS, West Nile virus, and noroviruses on cruise ships.
Providing translation services is a key component of CDC’s overall emergency response system. Translators provide culturally-specific, plain-language messages during emergencies and disasters.
As part of its efforts to reach people of multiple cultures in appropriate languages, CDC has created emergency communication such as:
- Tips for preventing heat-related illness (in Haitian Creole, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish)
- Answers to frequently-asked questions about a radiation emergency (in Chinese, Filipino, French, German, and Spanish)
- Guidelines on emergency wound care (in Burmese, Spanish and Vietnamese)
- Essential facts on blast injuries (in Bengali, Chinese, French, Hindi, Marathi, Spanish and Urdu)
- A factsheet on preventing illness from food and water after a hurricane or flood (available in Haitian Creole, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese)
The languages for the translation of emergency messages are selected according to the population affected. Translated messages are frequently distributed to specific groups such as emergency responders, healthcare providers and public health professionals as well as to the general public.
More Information
- Investigación de los brotes infecciosos causados por Salmonella saintpaul (one of 30 updates translated during the Salmonella saintpaul outbreak)
- VIH/SIDA (a Spanish-language site about HIV/AIDS with general information as well as information written for the Hispanic population)
- Préparation et interventions en urgence (the emergency preparedness and response site with links to all French-language emergency communication)
- Bệnh Cúm (CDC flu resources in Vietnamese)
- Wissenswertes über Noroviren auf Kreuzfahrtschiffen (facts about noroviruses on cruise ships in German)
- Mga Payo Tungkol sa Paghuhugas ng Kamay (handwashing tips and techniques in Taglog, also known as Filipino)
