Only about 6% of the world’s population are native English speakers, while 75% of people don’t speak English at all.
Many people do not have access to high quality health information, because it is not readily available in a language that they understand. We translate Cochrane evidence to make it more accessible, and to reduce the linguistic barrier to global evidence-informed health decisions. We have published more than 49,000 translations of Cochrane Review plain language summaries and/or abstracts as of January 2024.
Cochrane groups in different parts of the world lead our knowledge translation activities in different languages. They translate Cochrane Reviews and related Review content, such as podcasts or blogshots. But they typically also or instead write and disseminate news and other content in their language, do social media, work with professional societies, policy makers, patient groups or the media in their country, and offer training.
Most Cochrane groups have no or very little funding for translations. Some have support from their local funders, for example ministries of health or hosting universities, central Cochrane funding, or temporary grants, but most involve substantial volunteer time.
Get involved
You're a Cochrane group and want to translate Cochrane Reviews or related products? Please contact Judith Deppe.
We regularly translate Cochrane abstracts and plain language summaries in the following languages. These translations are published on the Cochrane Library and cochrane.org with the English Reviews, and they have their own translated version of cochrane.org, where you can browse and search in those languages. Projects vary in capacity and duration, so the number of available Review translations also varies from language to language.
Planning and managing a Review translation project
Using Phrase (formerly Memsource), our translation management system
Dissemination and promotion of translations
Translating podcasts and blogshots
Translating press releases and working with the media
Using social media to disseminate translations
Multi-language strategy
Cochrane’s Translation Strategy started in 2014, and an updated Multi-language strategy was approved in 2019. Our multi-language programme aims to make Cochrane evidence accessible and usable for people in different linguistic and cultural contexts.
We have established translation infrastructure and management, encouraged and invested in innovative and sustainable methods and approaches, and sourced partnerships to support the endeavour. Since the start of Cochrane's Knowledge Translation Framework in 2017, we have been working to ensure that translation and multi-language activities are aligned and incorporated with our knowledge translation programme. We aim to consider multi-language needs and perspectives across Cochrane's activities and to become a truly multi-language organisation.
Past and other translation projects
Language
Responsible group / organisation
Project details
French, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
World Health Organization
Scope: Review abstracts
Priority setting: Topics relevant to the WHO Reproductive Health Library (not all content for all languages)
Cochrane Back, Musculoskeletal, Oral Health, Upper GI and Pancreatic Diseases, and Infectious Diseases Group & Center for the Development of Best Practices in Health, Cameroon
Project duration: 2010-2012 (integrated with Cochrane France, when their translation project started)
Scope: Review abstracts and plain language summaries
Priority setting: Reviews of the respective groups
