New Multilingual Feature on MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus has released a multilingual feature which provides access to high quality health information in languages other than English and Spanish. This new service benefits people who prefer to read consumer health information in their native language. 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. A page listing all of the languages covered is linked from the MedlinePlus homepage. Users can browse these languages or link to the page listing all of the topics covered. In addition, a languages box will display on the English Health Topic pages. The languages box lists the languages with links on that topic in MedlinePlus. The languages box also links users to the collection of health information in multiple languages.

An interactive world map teaches users about the number of people who speak nine of the languages in the MedlinePlus collection. The languages – Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese – are among those most frequently spoken at home in the United States other than English, according to the U.S. census.

The MedlinePlus collection of health information in multiple languages is not meant to be comprehensive. MedlinePlus staff selects materials according to quality guidelines. Materials must be produced by the United States Federal government or a U.S.-based organization, such as a medical association or a hospital. The producer must describe the translation, review and updating process. In addition, the content must be appropriate for a U.S. consumer audience, and it must be authoritative and current. MedlinePlus staff also looks for English equivalents to the multilingual information.