Students from the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures help with communication between foreign travelers and medics/community staff amid the pandemic.
In light of the global spread of COVID-19, Shanghai, a metropolis that receives a large number of international travelers each year, has become an important frontline for preventing imported cases. However, the city’s hospitals and neighborhood committees have difficulties communicating with people speaking different languages from all around the world during health checks and treatment.
To help break down the language barriers, the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures of Fudan University has set up a multilingual volunteer team to meet the translation needs at communities and hospitals.
The team, composed of more than 60 students, is supervised by Dean Gao Yongwei and more than ten Chinese and foreign professors, and advised by the Children’s Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. At present, the team covers nine languages including English, Japanese, French, Korean, Italian, Persian, Spanish, Russian, and German.
A screenshot of the Spanish translation the students work on
“I have always been thinking of how I can use my foreign language skills to help medical staff on the frontline. It is my honor and a great pleasure to participate in making the multilingual pocket book”, said Huang Ruitong, a sophomore from the Spanish Department.
Multilingual pocket book for health checks
In order to provide more efficienct help, the team has produced a multilingual pocket book with concise answers to common questions for suspected cases at hospitals and during community visits.
“Have the patient or their family members travelled to any places in the past 2-3 weeks? If so, what is the specific time and place?” “Has anyone in their family had a fever or any respiratory symptoms in the past 2 weeks?” “Has the patient had a fever? If so, what is their highest temperature? How long has the fever lasted? Has it recurred frequently? Has the temperature dropped to normal after taking oral antipyretic drugs?” These are some of the questions in the book.
Health check questions in the Spanish version of the pocket book
The pocket book has so far been used by the Children’s Hospital, Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, and residential communities in Hongkou District, Yangpu District and Pudong New Area. The volunteer translators also referred to international reports on COVID-19 to make sure the questions are translated as clearly and accurately as possible.
On March 17, the second edition of the pocket book arrived at Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This new edition offers translations in Italian and Persian. In addition, questions regarding exposure to the virus are refined based on the suggestions of the Shanghai Health Commission.
24/7 quality translation service
To ensure a translator is always available when hospitals and neighborhoods are in need, the multilingual volunteer team has a 24/7 work schedule marked with the phone numbers of each members and their duty hours. Translation assistance is offered through phone calls, voice messages, video calls, etc.
The quality of translation is important to know accurately the health conditions of foreign travellers. Wang Yinuo, a junior from the English Department and leader of the English group said they had been checking out terminologies and expressions for the COVID-19 outbreak and sharing what they had learned in their group chat. “It enables us to give a quicker and more precise response when receiving translation requests.”
Students provide translation service from home.
Eager to make a difference
As there is a need of community-based COVID-19 prevention, the team has finished recording multilingual audios promoting preventive measures to be broadcast in residential quarters. For the next step, the volunteer team will work on multilingual posters and videos introducing relevant policies and tips for people entering China, etc.
Students from the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures have been devoted to the volunteer translation service from the right start of the epidemic outbreak. During the recruitment period, applications were received from students of all years. When the team set to work, its high-quality translation received wide acclaim from hospitals and neighborhood committees. Zhang Xiaochen, a senior of French major, said, “This volunteer work has provided us with an opportunity to combine what we’ve learned with the need of society, and more importantly, allowed us students to lend a hand and make a difference on the frontline of COVID-19 prevention.”
Sources: Youth League of Fudan University and College of Foreign Languages and Literatures
Author: Huang Xinhe, Chen Keyan
Translator: Zang Lu, Ji Yumeng
Proofreader: Wang Yinuo
Editor: Deng Jianguo, Li Yijie
