Breaking down language barriers in oncology
The vital partnership between CLEAR Global and ecancer
“As an oncologist at ecancer, our collaboration with CLEAR Global/Translators without Borders has been transformative. Their expertise in translation ensures our oncology content reaches healthcare professionals globally.”
Dr Federic Bakal, Fundación Arturo Lopez Perez (FALP), Chile
CLEAR Global is proud to collaborate with partners dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people around the world. By supporting them in their missions, we can achieve our own – of helping people to get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak.
UK-based charity ecancer is dedicated to improving cancer care globally through education. They believe cancer patients everywhere deserve the best care. By providing high-quality knowledge of cancer treatment, they help healthcare professionals to improve their skills, in contexts ranging from Latin America to India and Nepal and from Cambodia to Tanzania and Senegal. Increased access to resources and education leads to improvements in patient care.
Partner ecancer uses the Internet to share vital information in a range of languages
The organization hosts ecancermedicalscience, an open-access cancer journal that serves under-resourced communities. The journal’s goal is to help reduce global inequalities in cancer care and treatment by providing free access to all articles immediately upon publication.
The journal welcomes articles on a wide range of topics related to cancer, including molecular biology, genetics, epidemiology, and controlled trials, especially those that are independent or publicly funded. It also considers articles related to health systems, cancer policy, and regulatory aspects of cancer care. The comprehensive scope of ecancermedicalscience makes it an important platform for advancing research and knowledge in the fight against cancer, particularly in communities that might otherwise lack access to such resources.
Our partnership breaks down language barriers
“Thanks to TWB, we break down language barriers, improve accessibility, and empower diverse communities. This partnership reinforces our commitment to inclusive cancer care.”
Dr Federic Bakal, Fundación Arturo Lopez Perez (FALP), Chile
The partnership with Translators without Borders (TWB, now part of CLEAR Global) began nearly ten years ago, because ecancer were aware of the importance of language in reaching a global audience. They recognized that breaking down language barriers was crucial to achieving their mission. This understanding came from feedback received from readers, authors, and collaborators who struggled to access or understand content as a result of language issues.
Accurate translations help healthcare professionals stay informed about global developments, share their insights, and ultimately improve patient care. CLEAR Global’s partnership with ecancer is a way of removing the language barriers that block the spread of vital medical information on cancer care, enabling diverse communities to access cancer care information in their own language. This is in line with ecancer’s mission of offering complete, patient-centered cancer care and supporting healthcare professionals in delivering quality services to people affected by cancer globally.
Culturally appropriate translation helps expand access and build trust
To achieve this, ecancer adapted their approach, prioritizing key content for translation, working with language experts, and creating user-friendly multilingual interfaces. They focused on reaching out to diverse communities in languages such as English, Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, French, German, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.
Through its partnership with CLEAR Global, ecancer became even more aware of the role language and effective communication play in the medical field. Effective communication is more than just translation; it calls for a deep understanding of cultural differences, and adapting content accordingly. Working with language experts ensured that the content was translated according to the cultural and linguistic needs of target audiences. This led to better engagement and trust, facilitating meaningful interactions, knowledge sharing and collaboration in the global healthcare community.
In addition to content for healthcare professionals, the collaboration has extended to crucial patient-facing content. By translating and subtitling materials such as Relieving Cancer Pain at Home, The Cancer Patient’s Role in the Decision-Making Process, and resources on managing pain and the emotions that come with it, CLEAR Global and ecancer have made critical information directly accessible to cancer patients.
Oncology communication in Chile: a case study
Translation expands the influence of research findings from Latin America
The partnership also has the benefit of making the findings of research conducted in other languages available in English, enabling it to reach a wider audience and influence global practice. One such collaboration was the translation from Spanish to English of Knowledge, Practice, and Communication Barriers for Oncology Doctors in Chile When Addressing the Sexuality of their Patients.
This study examines the communication challenges oncologists in Chile face when discussing patient sexuality. Cancer and cancer treatment can greatly impact a patient’s sexual wellbeing, with consequences for their quality of life, self-image and relationships. That makes effective communication about sexual health an important aspect of oncology. The study highlights a gap between recognizing the importance of sexuality and actual clinical practice, revealing a need for institutional support and training to better integrate sexual health discussions into cancer care.
Volunteer linguists played a vital role
As the project relied on volunteer translators, the project manager, Giulia Gasperoni, sought out community members with experience in the medical field to ensure accuracy and quality. To maintain high levels of engagement and motivation, she ensured that community members had as much context and information as possible. When a community member claimed a translation task, Giulia reached out to share references and additional information. She also provided more background on ecancer and explained how the translated texts would contribute to its mission. Follow-up emails checked on the volunteers’ needs and offered assistance, making sure they knew their contribution was valued
“I am really glad that I was able to help on this project. I think this is such an important topic in today’s society and hopefully my translated words will help many people in both the present time and in the future.”
Suzanne Skirrow, TWB community member
In-kind sponsorship enabled specialist revision in a tight timeframe
Finding the right linguists from within the TWB community to revise the translation was a challenge for such a large and highly specialized text, especially as the deadline was tight. One of CLEAR Global’s in-kind sponsors, Surrey Translation Bureau, stepped in to offer the services of their linguists to complete the project.
Established in 1984, Surrey Translation Bureau has been an in-kind sponsor of CLEAR Global for several years, formalizing its support in 2021. This work forms part of STB’s corporate social responsibility framework, which aims to make a positive impact beyond the core business operations of the company.
“We were delighted to play a small part in ensuring cancer patients can receive the highest quality information. Our role was to check the overall accuracy and consistency of the English translation, ensuring the correct terminology was used – crucial for any text being used in the medical sphere. We’re proud to work with expert medical linguists who share our values and our translator appreciated the additional context provided by the ecancer team as this helped bring the material to life, improving the overall quality of the final text. To know we’ve played a part in improving the outcomes for cancer patients is incredibly rewarding to the whole team at STB.”
Amey Higgon, Head of Project Management at Surrey Translation Bureau
Volunteer with CLEAR Global
ecancer’s success in making vital cancer research accessible underscores the crucial contribution of volunteer translators. This work directly impacts healthcare professionals and patients, helping spread knowledge and foster collaboration globally.
CLEAR Global is proud to be able to offer a rewarding volunteer experience to our community members. Volunteering is a meaningful way to use your skills for the greater good while also joining a global community of dedicated individuals working to ensure people can get vital information and be heard, whatever language they speak. If you want to join the TWB volunteer community, you can register here.