COVID-19 information translated into community languages
Links to reliable information about COVID-19 in a range of languages other than English | Updated 6 December 2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to have access to current health information that’s evidence based. Information is available in up to 63 languages.
National Coronavirus Helpline service expansion
The National Coronavirus Helpline service has been expanded to include:
- people with disability, their friends, family, and carers
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The dedicated Helpline team will provide information and advice specific to each cohort, and support callers to book a vaccination appointment by providing step-by-step assistance. Where clinical advice is required, callers will be escalated to a clinical call handler to assist. Dedicated training relevant to each cohort is being provided to the priority team call handlers.
Callers with a disability, their friends/family and carers, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be able to access this expanded service by calling the National Coronavirus Helpline on 1800 020 080 and choosing option 5.
This is an additional service to the priority service currently provided for people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The priority team sits outside the normal call queues so they are not governed by call wait times or call duration pressures, meaning they are able to provide a more individual service to callers and spend more time with them on the information they need, as well as taking them step by step through booking an appointment.
The average waiting time on the priority line is less than 1 minute, with an average call duration between four times that of the general line (10 to 17 minutes).
Translated resources: COVID-19 vaccine booster
The Australian Government Department of Health has developed translated resources relating to the COVID-19 vaccine booster announcement.
COVID-19 booster vaccine information in multiple languages
Additional resources
If you, your patients, or members of your community, do not know where to go for translated health resources, some of these websites might point you in the right direction.
- Ethnolink, a community language translation service, has created a COVID-19 multilingual hub and collated resources from trusted authorities such as the Department of Health, Department of Home Affairs, and the World Health Organization. There are 71 world languages and 20 Australian indigenous languages represented.
- FECCA CovidSafety page has resources for leaders and members to share with their communities. There are currently 13 world languages represented.
- Health Translations, a Victorian Government initiative, offers Coronavirus resources that are ordered by language and updated regularly.
Aboriginal languages
- The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory website has information for speakers of Ngagni, Warlpiri, Yolngu Matha, Western Arrernte, Luritja/Pintupi, Yanyuwa.
- The Northern Territory government has Messages in language for remote communities.
Multicultural organisations
- SBS Radio provides news and information about coronavirus (COVID-19) in 63 languages.
- The Migration Council Australia's MyAus COVID-19 app is a free resource for Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse communities about COVID-19, its impact and available support.
- Human Like Us, a refugee advocacy group, has a website section that explains the best way to wash your hands and keep safe from coronavirus in videos, sound recordings and posters that are translated into 35 languages.
Health and research organisations
- The Australian Red Cross has a downloadable poster with simple steps to protect yourself and help prevent the spread of COVID-19, available in 20 languages.
Cancer
- The Cancer Council has translated its ‘Cancer and COVID-19 factsheet’ into 12 different languages.
Asthma
- Asthma Australia has information about how COVID-19 impacts people with asthma that is translated into 8 languages
Pregnancy
- Factsheets about COVID-19 for pregnant women developed by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) are available in a number of languages on the Harmony Alliance website.
Mental health
- Collection of Australian Department of Health COVID-19 mental health resources, from Health Translations, in community languages.
Translated resources from the Australian Government
- The Department of Home Affairs has COVID-19 information about border arrangements during the outbreak.
- The Department of Health provides a list of resources about COVID-19 in other languages. The resources include fact sheets, guidelines and other publications.
- The Australian Government’s Translation and Interpreting Service (TIS) offers a free interpreter to people with limited English to help them access healthcare and other resources.
- Information about changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, during the COVID-19 pandemic, is available in 11 languages on their website.
Pasifika COVID-19 vaccines information kit
The Department of Health has engaged a specialist multicultural communications agency to work with representatives of the Pasifika community to understand the information needs of the Pasifika community in Australia.
This pack draws together information for you to use to help meet these information needs, and to provide some of the existing and new COVID-19 vaccine information resources directly to the Pasifika community, in their language.
COVID-19 vaccines information kit in Cantonese
The Department of Health engaged a specialist multicultural communications agency to work with representatives of the Chinese community to inform the development of this information pack.