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Multilingual Health Resources

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Category Archives: Language/Literacy

Translation Without Words

Posted on March 1, 2021 by TonySchmitzMarch 1, 2021

Not all translation depends on words, as is made clear by a New York Times obit for graphic designer and artist Rajie Cook. In 1974, Cook’s design firm was hired by the US Department of Transportation as it prepared for … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Telehealth: Another Barrier for Limited English Speakers?

Posted on June 14, 2020 by TonySchmitzJune 14, 2020

Among the changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic is the sudden increased reliance on telemedicine. In the article Telehealth Wasn’t Designed for Non-English Speakers, the online news organization The Verge considers the effect on patients who struggle with English. Here’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

You Say Tomato…

Posted on November 11, 2019 by TonySchmitzNovember 11, 2019

Among life’s Tower-of-Babel puzzlements: why do so many words exist in different languages for the same thing? The website Open Culture answers one very narrow version of this question by taking on the reasons why tea is called something like … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Say Howdy in 55 Indigenous Languages

Posted on August 12, 2019 by TonySchmitzAugust 12, 2019

Wondering how to say “How are you? Are you fine?” in Tamashek? Or, “How are you doing? How are you feeling?” in Fulfulde? Here’s a chance to satisfy your curiosity. Check out this interactive website on Google Earth that features … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Most Common Language In Minnesota (That’s Not English or Spanish)?

Posted on July 15, 2019 by TonySchmitzJuly 8, 2019

Well, unlike the states of North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, South Carolina and Colorado, it’s not German. The US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey annually asks more than a million Americans questions about their lives, families, and backgrounds — … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Language of the Youngs

Posted on May 20, 2019 by TonySchmitzMay 20, 2019

Proving that language problems are everywhere, a Massachusetts school teacher recently undertook a translation project — creating a dictionary of youth slang to help him understand his students. When a TV reporter took the results to the streets, the Olds … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

What If You Had to Learn a Language?

Posted on May 13, 2019 by TonySchmitzMay 13, 2019

When it comes to learning a new language, not all tongues are created equal. Some offer a much rockier path to fluency for native English speakers. Consider this analysis by the Foreign Service Institute on how tough it is for … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Why You Say “Victor” and not “Wictor”

Posted on April 8, 2019 by TonySchmitzApril 8, 2019

It’s all about diet, says University of Zurich researcher Balthasar Bickel, in a study reported recently in the journal, Science. Bickel’s contention is that the move from a meat-heavy diet — and all the tearing, ripping and hard chewing that … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Recording World Languages, Before It’s Too Late

Posted on February 25, 2019 by TonySchmitzFebruary 26, 2019

If you’re trying to arrange interpreter services for patients, it may seem that the world already has too many languages. But here’s the other side of that coin: the number of languages that are at risk of disappearing entirely. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

That Other Language, Art. A Path Toward Health?

Posted on January 19, 2019 by TonySchmitzFebruary 11, 2019

Should the arts be considered an essential ingredient in general well-being? And should therapeutic art or hobby-based treatment be prescribed as part of a treatment plan? The answer is yes, according to United Kingdom Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

The Health Literacy Trap for Seniors

Posted on December 24, 2018 by TonySchmitzDecember 24, 2018

How many patients are capable of fully understanding the care instructions they’re given? The answer: barely one in ten. A 2006 national survey found that 12 percent of patients fit the “proficient” health literacy category. Things get even more bleak … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Honesty in Another Language

Posted on December 10, 2018 by TonySchmitzDecember 10, 2018

Want to be viewed more often as a liar? Try telling the truth in another language. That, roughly speaking, is the conclusion of research conducted by University of Würzburg psychologists Kristina Suchotzki (photo, right) and Matthias Gamer. In their experiment, … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

From Schools, a Warning on Language Services

Posted on November 17, 2018 by TonySchmitzNovember 18, 2018

Here’s another note on the consequences of inadequate language services, this time from the St. Paul public school system. Como Park high school student and Karen immigrant Lor Ler Kaw got placed in mainstream English and social studies classes with … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Time to Learn Some Amharic?

Posted on November 5, 2018 by TonySchmitzNovember 5, 2018

Looking for a cheap and easy way to learn how to say hello and exchange a pleasantry or two with recent immigrants? Check out the language lessons — many of them free — at the Open Culture website. You’ll find … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Singing about that Disaster

Posted on October 29, 2018 by TonySchmitzOctober 29, 2018

Here’s a twist on a communication problem that has bedeviled Minnesota’s emergency management departments. How do you let non-English speakers know about imminent hazards if your audience doesn’t speak English, or isn’t familiar with the nature of the hazard itself? … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

So You Only Speak English?

Posted on September 3, 2018 by TonySchmitzSeptember 3, 2018

Let’s take a break this week from wondering how to help English language learners, and stop to think why most people in Minnesota only speak English. For some fresh perspective on how weak this is in comparison to the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

English: Why It’s So Tough to Learn

Posted on August 20, 2018 by TonySchmitzAugust 20, 2018

In case you doubted that it’s a hard language to master, here’s a video that demonstrates the quagmire through which English learners must wade. In this short film, Aaron Alon shows what happens when you apply consistent vowel-sound rules to … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Thinking in Two Languages

Posted on August 6, 2018 by TonySchmitzAugust 6, 2018

Here’s a thought-provoking article from Psychology Today that explores how language can affect memory and behavior. Author Viorica Marian, Ph.D., psycholinguist at Northwestern University, describes how memories of multilingual people are linked to the language used while the event occurred. “Memories,” she … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

Get the Latest Health Lit Lowdown

Posted on May 29, 2018 by TonySchmitzMay 29, 2018

It’s time to check out the latest edition of the Minnesota Health Literacy Partnership’s e-newsletter, In the Know: Health literacy news and best practices. The new issue covers topics such as health literacy training for dental professionals, and how to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Language/Literacy

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