Preparing critical COVID-19 information for local language communities? Wondering how to translate some of the more complex terms?

These Tips for Translators offer ideas for how to translate terms that often occur in materials about COVID-19 but may not have easy equivalents in many languages. The following 100 terms were selected from the TWB Glossary of COVID-19.  The suggestions use basic English vocabulary and grammar to provide phrases that should be easy to understand and to translate.

Some general translation principles for “easy understanding” 

• Keep sentences simple and short. 
• Use simple verbs (action words) as much as possible.
• Use simple phrases to communicate complicated words and concepts.
• As much as possible, use terms that are already familiar to the community.
• Define borrowed or technical terms the first time you use them.  (Maybe define them more than one time if you use them frequently.)

Click here for the resource in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese.

by SIL