Digital health translation is an important application of machine translation and multilingual technologies, and there is a growing need for accessibility in digital health translation design for disadvantaged communities. This book addresses that need by highlighting state-of-the-art research on the design and evaluation of assistive translation tools, along with systems to facilitate cross-cultural and cross-lingual communications in health and medical settings. Using case studies as examples, the principles of designing assistive health communication tools are illustrated. These are (1) detectability of errors to boost user confidence by health professionals; (2) customizability for health and medical domains; (3) inclusivity of translation modalities to serve people with disabilities; and (4) equality of accessibility standards for localised multilingual websites of health contents. This book will appeal to readers from natural language processing, computer science, linguistics, translation studies, public health, media, and communication studies. This title is available as open access on Cambridge Core.

‘This is a ground-breaking, rigorously researched volume that explores the intersection of language and translation technologies in healthcare settings, ultimately calling for more effective communication between providers and patients. Whether you are a healthcare professional, a language service provider, or a patient navigating the healthcare system, this book is an indispensable guide to breaking down barriers and promoting technological, linguistic and cultural competence in healthcare.’

Jorge Díaz-Cintas - University College London

‘This book is an insightful deep dive into the multitude of ways that translation tools can be used to advance health communication. This is a must-read for any individual with an interest in developing or evaluating technologies to address gaps in translation access in the healthcare setting. The authors provide foundational knowledge about the types of technologies available, how they can be applied, and approaches to evaluations. Through case studies, the readers then learn about challenges and opportunities for translation technologies to advance health globally. These wide-ranging examples collated into a single volume demonstrate the potential of these tools to transform communication across language barriers.’

Elaine Khoong - MD, University of California, San Francisco