Partnering with Others to Fight COVID-19

Tips for Translators is a resource especially designed for those tasked with producing informational materials on COVID-19 in local languages. Suggested phrases in basic vocabulary make complex terminology easier to understand and to translate.  [Now available in English, Spanish, French & Portuguese.]

See Tips for Translators (English)

SIL and other members of the Trauma Healing Alliance have partnered together to provide trauma healing resources specific to the COVID-19 crisis. The hope for these resources is that they will help many navigate through this unprecedented time. The COVID-19 Trauma Healing lesson can be used in group (online), with your family, or individual settings - even if you have never used trauma healing materials before.

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Books relating to COVID-19 prevention and health can be accessed in multiple languages on mobile phones, tablets, and computers via SIL’s Bloom Reader app. You can read it online, download it to Bloom Reader, or use the Bloom book creation software to adapt to a new language.

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FUDIPES, a Deaf foundation in El Salvador that focuses on the integral development of the Deaf, worked with SIL to publish a COVID-19 bloom book in LESSA (Salvadoran Sign Language). This is the first book that has been published in LESSA, and the coronavirus was a driving force in its development.

See Bloom Book

Using a WhatsApp group, 18 participants from different language communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin and Cameroon worked alongside media trainers and developed radio spots on 15 different Covid-19 related themes of daily life. Participants chose their topic and worked with a facilitator to develop the mini-drama and other thematic material to include in the radio slots. The topics included:

• Education of children and young people during the pandemic
• Unemployment and Covid-19, 
• Marriage planning in the time of Covid-19
• Where is God in times of suffering 
• Supporting family members during ‘lockdown’.

See Radio Spot Examples

SIL Malaysia has coordinated with the University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to create COVID-19 education materials now available. The posters are translated into the Kimaragang, Kadazan, Dusun Bundu, Murut Paluan, Rungus, Tobilung, and Bajau languages. Dr. Jeannet Stephen at UMS wrote, “This project would not have been possible had it not been for the support from SIL. Thank you very much… for connecting me to the team of friendly and helpful translators. I hope to work again with them and SIL in the near future.”

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In collaboration with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, SIL linguist and charter member of the Commission, David Frank, translated a coronavirus prevention poster for the Gullah people who speak Sea Island Creole. The poster was originally developed during the Swine flu but has been updated to include coronavirus-specific information, including the use of face masks.

See Poster

In our commitment to pursue healthy local partnerships to produce the best possible resources, SIL prioritizes collaboration with local organizations and communities. In Tanzania, SIL sign language consultants at the request of BILAT assisted them in developing creative informational videos about COVID-19. BILAT, a Deaf Tanzanian NGO, serves their community through Bible translation, multilingual education, and scripture engagement. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck local communities in March, a team of volunteers were working on a sign language program for children in the largest city, Dar es Salaam. These volunteers quickly adapted the creative musical, writing and acting skills they had been learning at the BILAT Center for use in the COVID-19 videos. Using Deaf volunteers BILAT has been making masks for Deaf across Tanzania. SIL is privileged to continue partnering with BILAT as they expand this effort (GoFundMe) and as they create more sign language resources in Tanzanian Sign Language.

See Video Example

In Chad, SIL worked with local partners to develop or adapt masters of a variety of COVID-19 related resources - video, pamphlet, posters – in their languages for them to distribute within their communities. As of now, more than 50 communities have selected and received the resources that best meet their specific language and community needs in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

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The Asia-Pacific Multilingual Education Working Group have created a Repository of Covid-19 resources in non-English languages to share materials about COVID-19 available in minority and indigenous languages and ensure they are accessible to everyone.

The core members of the MLE WG include UNESCO, UNICEF, SEAMEO, CARE Cambodia, Save the Children, SIL International, and Mahidol University, Bangkok.

If you would like to contribute materials to this Repository, please use the submission forms here or contact .

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After the Pakistan government created a video on coronavirus prevention in Urdu (the national language of Pakistan), local SIL partners translated the video content into 11 Northern Pakistan languages. Additional to the video, materials such as audio products and social media campaigns, have been translated into various Northern Pakistan languages. The translation of these resources provide the communities who use these languages and beyond with access to crucial information to help protect themselves and their families.

See Video Example

Working with our partners at the University of the Philippines, critical COVID-19 prevention material is being translated into local Philippine languages. We are working to distribute these infographics to communities through the power of social media sharing. Currently, graphics in 55 Philippine languages are available to download (Click below). Help us get the word out!

Go to Infographics

In partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Health Pooled Fund of South Sudan, SIL is helping to translate instructional posters into several South Sudanese languages that is being distributed among the language communities. These posters contain information that is vital in helping people know what precautionary measures to take in order to prevent the acquisition and spread of the coronavirus.

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The Center for Disease Control & Prevention has provided a resource with important guidelines and information for how to protect yourself and your family from getting the coronavirus.

Go to CDC Resources

The World Health Organization has created and regularly update resources that provide key information and advice for the general public to better safeguard against COVID-19.

Go to WHO Resources

Tearfund has created a wide range of practical tools and guides to support churches and organisations serving vulnerable communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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