University project makes Covid-19 information accessible in different languages

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COVID-19 is affecting the great majority of people on the planet in one way or another and information (fact and fiction) relating to the pandemic is circulating via social media streams at an astonishing rate.

Providing factual, accessible, and unbiased interpretations of insights emerging from COVID-19 research is critical.  To help contribute to this Edinburgh Infectious Diseases published summaries of the talks at the Edinburgh Coronavirus Workshop at the end of March.

However, as with so much of the information that is available about Covid-19, these summaries are in English.

Engaging locally and globally

To make this information much more accessible for people whose first language is not English, the Edinburgh Infectious Diseases community came together to translate these summaries into twenty one different languages from around the world. 

Over 50 students, postdocs and group leaders have generously contributed their scientific and linguistic knowledge to the project, which has now published translations in Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Malay, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian and Spanish, Telugu, Thai and Turkish.

Translations are available for the following talks:

Diagnostics  - tests for COVID19 - what are the options? – Kate Templeton,  Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh

The science of quarantine and the social life of COVID-19 – Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, School of Social and Political Science -

Tracking the emergence and spread of COVID-19 using sequence data – Sam Lycett, Roslin Institute

Real-time sequencing of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic: an achievable goal? – Thomas Christie Williams, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine

Clinical Aspects of COVID-19 – Oliver Koch, Regional Infectious Diseases Unit, Western General Hospital

Read the translated summaries

Read the English summaries

Particular thanks are due to Nat Ring at the Roslin Institute and Julie Fyffe in the School of Biological Studies, who collated and compiled the translated texts.

About the project, Professor Ross Fitzgerald, Director of Edinburgh Infectious Diseases said:

I’m delighted that so many members of our international community in Edinburgh have contributed to this initiative allowing access for non-English speakers from around the world to learn about the cutting edge COVID-19 science being carried out in Edinburgh that is being used to inform clinical treatment and public health measures.

It has been wonderful to see how many people from across Edinburgh Infectious Diseases and beyond have come together to make this project possible, and highlights the truly global diversity of our staff and students. 

Hilary Snaith

Listen to the talks

All the talks at the Workshop were recorded –  full presentations are available on the Edinburgh Infectious Diseases website.

Edinburgh Coronavirus Workshop

More information

Please contact Hilary Snaith