CBC News featured GCI member Dr. Lesa Dawson, together with Jessie Kaur Lehail and Dr. Reetinder Kaur, highlighting their project to improve the accessibility of cancer prevention and screening awareness materials for South Asian communities.
Watch the CBC News feature here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/punjabi-translation-framework-1.7637641
The team discussed common mistranslations that occur when English medical resources are translated into Punjabi, and how their Punjabi Translation Framework (a set of guidelines and tools to ensure culturally and gender-sensitive translations) aims to address these gaps, making cancer prevention and screening awareness materials more accessible to South Asian communities.
They explain how mistranslations can have serious consequences. Such errors may discourage individuals from seeking or receiving care, and when combined with cultural fears and stigma, these translations create significant barriers to equitable access. Reflecting on more than 30 years of gynecologic oncology practice, Dr. Dawson noted that South Asian women were “far less likely” to access genetic testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Despite South Asians comprising nearly 10 percent of British Columbia’s population in 2021, they accounted for only about three percent of women who pursued genetic testing.
The team emphasizes that language translation is a multi-step process that requires meaningful engagement with community and patient partners. Guided by the goal of supporting Punjabi women to have greater agency over their health, the Punjabi Translation Framework seeks not only to improve the accuracy of medical information, but also to build trust, reduce stigma, and advance equity in cancer prevention and care.
This summary was developed based upon the CBC News feature, “Meet the women trying to make Punjabi medical translations more culturally appropriate.” Read the full feature here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/punjabi-translation-framework-1.7637641
For those interested in learning more, the team expanded on these issues in two episodes of the Gup Shup podcast earlier this year, where they discussed the fear, stigma, and barriers South Asians face in cancer prevention and screening:
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