Evidence Synthesis Methods Interest Group

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Language Translation Workflow

  • 1.  Language Translation Workflow

    Posted May 20, 2022 07:36 PM
    Hi All!

    I'd love to hear what your workflows are for including evidence in languages you don't read. I know many databases provide an English language abstract, and have read that Google Translate is popular, but also that its accuracy varies by original language.  

    Since research teams on my campus do not necessarily budget for translation services (or even see a need to include non-English language studies), I am on the lookout for resources to lower the hurdle as much as possible. Language professors provide some translation support, but sometimes not on a compatible timeline. I wonder whether partnership with academic support programs like the tutoring and writing centers and the office of research could provide a structure for compensation and training for interested native speakers to offer discipline specific translation services. Being new to thinking about this, I wanted to see if this is already being addressed well somewhere. 

    This 2021 discussion paper mentions the Cochrane Task Exchange, which sounds very cool, but not all use cases I support would fit within its scope. 

    Thanks, and happy weekend!
    Leyla 

    Leyla Cabugos (she/her or they/them)
    Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Librarian
    Kennedy Library, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
    Desk phone: (805)756-5719
    Check out my Subject Guides for the disciplines in the CAFES