Health Education Materials Development and Translation-Meeting the Needs of the Multicultural and Diversified Population

In 2008, about 47 million people in the United States speak a language other than English, and that number remains on the rise. Additionally, many states have passed regulations that require translations be made readily available for the largest number of Limited English Proficient (LEP) health insured. As this population grows, the need for culturally sensitive health education materials and appropriately translated materials is also growing.

As a national health care organization, Health Net meets the needs of this diverse population by establishing a standardized process to produce high quality health education materials that meets cultural and linguistic competency level of its member population. The presentation will outline key steps to produce high quality, culturally sensitive and cost-effective health education materials. It will also show how best to assess health care translations for quality, consistency, accuracy, literacy, and cultural sensitivity. Cost-saving measures for translation programs that can be implemented by other organizations will also be presented.