However, to date, we are unaware of any studies evaluating the outputs of a machine translation tool when translating from English to multiple languages drawn from health education material on diabetes. Google Translate has also exhibited a high rate of translation errors when translating content on state and national public health websites from English to Chinese. Similarly, Sharif and Tse reported an overall 50% error rate for medicine labels translated from English to Spanish by computer programs.
Khanna et al compared English-to-Spanish translation accuracy between Google and human translators for patient education texts, reporting that Google Translate made more errors than human translators and people preferred the human translation for complex sentences. However, miscommunication through translation is possible given that words often have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. Perry and Mittelmark contend that digital translation tools “offer substantial time and cost saving…can thus be used not only to immediately collect information when the content is not translated, but also to immediately deliver information generated in one language to speakers of other languages” (p. Moreover, the Internet is becoming increasingly prevalent among minority populations. With the proliferation of online technology, 87% of US adults had access to the Internet in 2014, compared to 43% in 2000. Machine-generated translations represent a novel tool that non-English speakers can use to receive and relay health education information when human interpreters are not available. Moreover, among foreign-born US adults, nearly three out of four speak limited English or do not speak English at all. According to the US Census Bureau, approximately 21% of the US population (60.6 million) speaks a language other than English at home. These issues become increasingly important to address as the LEP population in the United States continues to steadily grow. Īs a result of their lack of comprehension and/or misinterpretation, LEP individuals (1) spend extra time and money seeking and using health care services, (2) have unsatisfactory experiences with health care providers, (3) make inappropriate health decisions, (4) have limited access and use of preventive health care services, (5) are more challenging to recruit into health education programs, (6) take incorrect dosages of medication, and (7) have worse health status. Compared to the native English-speaking population, LEP individuals are less likely to receive and understand health information or correctly interpret health education messages. LEP individuals, defined as any person age 5 and older who speaks English “less than very well”, represent a vulnerable population that experiences significant health disparities in the United States. For patients and caregivers with limited English proficiency (LEP), this lack of health information in their native language can be especially burdensome and represents an important public health issue. While public health professionals are working to produce more health content and material in other languages, current availability remains limited. Health promotion and education material from health organizations, as well as mass media, are primarily written and delivered in English.
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