In a health care environment it’s not the same as offering in-person interpretation, but recent additions to the languages offered by Google Translate help make the world a smaller place.
In ‘Allinllachu.’ Google Translate Adds Quechua to Its Platform, the New York Times explains how Google has added Quechua, an indigenous tongue spoken by an estimated eight to ten million people in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador, to its growing library of translated languages.
Quechua, the Times observes, is among 24 languages, spoken by an estimated 300 million people worldwide, added by Google to its translation service in the past month. Heavily represented in this new cache are mostly oral languages spoken by Indigenous or minority populations. Quechua is one example; another is Lingala, spoken by 45 million Central Africans.
Kaypi qhawaykuy. (That’s check it out here, in Quechua.)
Here’s a two-hour training that can help you support people suffering from life’s many disorienting events. M Health Fairvew is sponsoring a Psychological First Aid webinar set for Wednesday, June 15, 1 – 3 p.m. that will give you tools to speed recovery for those coping with the aftermath of traumatic events, personal crisis or reactions to public health emergencies or natural disasters.
President Joe Biden has promised that as many as 100,000 refugees from the war in Ukraine may be resettled in the US. But when and how: those are matters that remain blurry.
There’s a world of personal pronouns beyond he/she/they. To name just a few:
As with so much else, when it comes to the impact of climate change, communities of color and the poor will be disproportionately affected by less access to clean air, safe drinking water and shelter, and nutritious food. Find out more at this virtual forum, 
Here’s another tool you can use to urge parents to get their kids vaccinated. Five 5-11-year old Minnesotans who have finished the COVID vaccination series are eligible to enter a drawing for a $100,000 scholarship package at any public or private non-profit education institution in Minnesota. The deadline to enter is April 11. More information, plus a link to the entry form, is available here: 
The rapidly unfolding refugee crisis in Ukraine provoked a heartbreaking and fascinating story in the New York Times recently on the practicalities of flight. If you are forced to leave your home with little chance to plan or to take more than you can stuff in your pockets, what do you bring along? Reporter 
Need a translated overview of COVID at-home rapid tests for limited English speakers? Here’s a one-page Minnesota Department of Health info sheet in English and multiple other languages available for download.
When are medical interpreters simply conduits for information shared between providers and patients — and when do they have an obligation to intervene and advocate on the behalf of patients?
Having others understand the language you speak is one thing, but having your language survive in the face of globalization is another. That’s the subject that James Griffith takes on in his book, 
Get an inside view on survival in a war-torn country, as Dr. Okechukwu (Okey) Ukaga, Assistant Dean and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Minnesota Extension, appears at the Global Book Club’s virtual meeting to discuss “
N95 respirators are the gold standard for keeping COVID-19 at bay. But as with so many things, there’s a right way and a wrong way to use them. Here’s expert guidance from the CDC, in 
Here’s a story from the New York Times that’s equal parts romance and practicality. In 
Here’s another find via the excellent online immigrant/refugee news source, 
Does your organization send Community Health Workers into the field? If so, here’s a pair of webinars that will give them the tools to help combat the plethora of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccinations.
Local Ethiopian immigrant Zinet Kemal found she had some extra time on her hands. Since moving to Minnesota nine years ago, she had earned degrees from St. Paul College and Metropolitan State University, taken a job as an IT auditor for Hennepin County, and started an online graduate program in cybersecurity at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In between she was managing her four children, and adapting to life in frozen Minnesota. Nonetheless, when her kids came back from school and told her some of their fellow students speculated that they wore hijabs because they were bald or their hair was dirty, Kemal decided it was time to write a book that straightened things out.
Here’s a Tip of the Week a step outside the usual — the short story, 
Here’s a fascinating piece from the New York Times, 
Need a colorful reminder to mask up for visitors to your facility? Here are simple, printable posters in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hmong, Karen, Lao, Oromo, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese, courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Health.
Get a rundown on the current turmoil in Ethiopia, and its effect on the local Oromo community, via Sahan Journal, the online news source that covers immigrant and people-of-color issues.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Minnesota Department of Health offers a deep repository of translated COVID-19 education materials in one convenient location. 
For a examination of an Afghan family’s exodus to Minnesota, take a look at this detailed story just published in Sahan Journal, 
Struggling to explain monoclonal antibody therapy as a COVID treatment to patients who speak primarily Hmong, Somali or Spanish? Take a look at these easy-to-read info sheets from the Minnesota Department of Health.
With a new wave of Afghani refugees right around the corner, here’s an opportunity to learn more about best practices when interacting with recent arrivals.
As US involvement in the 20-year war in Afghanistan winds down, here’s an inevitable question: What becomes of the thousands of Afghans who helped US troops and now face retribution as the Taliban takes over?
With the pull-out of US troops from the 20-year ware in Afghanistan comes a new international refugee crisis, as aid groups declare that they’re prepping for the displacement of tens of thousands as the Taliban takes over swaths of the beleaguered country.
As it turns out, Australia is a font of translated health material, including difficult-to-find mental health resources. Take a look at this site — 
The American Immigration Council is a quick and easy source for an overlook at Minnesota’s immigrant community. 
Are safety concerns preventing your clients and patients from getting the COVID vaccination? Here’s an infographic translated into 15 languages that points out that the COVID vax is the result of years of research, and was subjected to extensive clinical trials before approval.
Thinking about saving money by having your Aunt Betty translate a few simple words for your organization? Really, what could go wrong?
Looking to stay abreast of where the next groups of refugees and asylees are likely to come from? One top source for news of tough times in other countries is the 
Governor Tim Walz is urging Minnesotans to get a Pfizer vaccination for their 12- to 15-year olds. But if your patients and clients say, Yeah, but where do I get it? what’s your answer?
Looking to boost your ongoing COVID information campaigns? Take a look at this 
Want to get your COVID-related messaging out as effectively as possible? Here’s a 
Not all translation depends on words, as is made clear by a New York Times obit for graphic designer and artist Rajie Cook.