NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service

Our services

The MHCS provides a range of services to health professionals in NSW, including translation service, information and advice, research services, and communication services. We are specialists in improving health communication across a range of languages and cultures.

Translation Service

The NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS) is committed to ensuring that Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities (CALD) have access to high quality health information in a language they understand.

One of MHCS key role is to provide and manage quality translations to the health sector, as well as any other Department or Service wishing to provide multilingual information to CALD communities.

For guidelines on managing your own translation project, or checking translated information, go to Translation and Checking Guidelines for Health Staff.

The costs of translations vary from $ 70 for 100 words. This includes translation and checking.

Should you need to have a translation undertaken, or just want advice you can contact us by calling (02) 9816 0347, or by email at mhcs@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au or peter.todaro@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Information and advice

Please note that MHCS cannot advise on personal health problems. If you require personal advice, you will need to consult your doctor, hospital or community health centre.

Multicultural Communication can:

• advise on appropriate ways to communicate with CALD communities taking into account cultural issues
• answer enquiries on multilingual information and where to obtain existing materials
• advise on production of multilingual health resources, including translated materials and use of accredited translators
• make our library available to health staff.

Research services

The MHCS is available to undertake research projects with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in NSW. We have experience in managing major projects, such as community surveys, consultations with groups from CALD communities, and qualitative research.

A significant element in our approach is the acknowledgment of diversity and the importance of permitting individuals and groups from communities to define their own needs, requirements and solutions. We ensure that at every stage in a project the cultural sensitivities of the groups involved are identified and accommodated.

Previous Research Assignments

• Focus groups on multilingual men's reproductive health resource "What Every Man Needs to know" - for Andrology Australia. Languages included Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Serbian and Turkish (2006)
• Focus testing information from Youthsafe, - "Helping Teenagers become safer drivers" - resources for Arabic and Chinese speaking parents. (2005)
• Communication Research project on the experience of CALD consumers on various multilingual communication tools, resources and initiatives that the Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care (DADHC) has produced. Specific communities targeted for the research included Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Turkish and Vietnamese speakers (2005)
• Focus groups with Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese women on their reactions to communication materials /creatives for the National Breast Cancer Centre campaign and formative research on beliefs and barriers that need to be considered for the campaign (2005)
• Market research/Formative Research for Cancer Institute of NSW on issue with Smoking Cessation and CALD communities, in particular with setting up a multilingual Quitline (2005)
• Signs and Symbols - a national audit and research on the various tools, other than spoken word, that the Health System have utilised to address the issue of illiteracy or low literacy in Languages Other than English (2004-2005)
• Multilingual Early Childhood resources - assessment of information needs and use of Early Childhood workers in NSW.
• NSW Health Survey 2002 - Multicultural Health Communication has provided advice in the translations and conduct of the bilingual interviews.
• Evaluation of the Somali Radio Program (The NSW Refugee Health Service)
• Telephone surveys of Chinese communities in Central Sydney (Central Sydney Health Promotion Unit) and Hurstville (South Eastern Sydney Health Promotion Unit.
• Consultations with service providers, and community representatives and members to develop a service plan for Families First initiatives in South Western Sydney (Commissioned by the Department of Community Services)
• NSW Health Surveys translation component (in collaboration with Epidemiology Branch NSW Health)
• Development, implementation and evaluation of a communication strategy on Cervical Screening to Arabic, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin and Spanish speaking women. (The NSW Cervical Screening Program)
• Survey research on the needs for health information in the Arabic and Khmer communities (Internal Project).
• Formative research for the smoke alarms campaign to Arabic, Chinese and Vietnamese speakers including focus groups and intercept surveys (NSW Health Department Injury Branch).
• Consultation with women from 16 communities to assess resources in LOTE developed by Breast Screen NSW (Breast Screen NSW).
• Research into the attitudes & knowledge of Croatian, Macedonian and Turkish community members to determine the information they require in relation to motor vehicle occupant restraints (RTA)
• Research to measure knowledge of parents from Arabic, Mandarin and Vietnamese speaking communities about child pedestrian and bicycle safety (KIDSAFE) Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia
• Community Consultation Project for Families First, South Western Sydney AHS
• Evaluation of Multicultural Skills for Health Staff in South Western Sydney AHS

Communication services

The MHCS has expertise in developing communication strategies, campaigns, resources and products specifically targeted to CALD communities in NSW. We are able to organise health promotion, education and information services, audio and video production, the development of print resources, and distribution networks.

Our advantage is our special knowledge of CALD communities, including their media and demographic details. We are skilled at judging the reception of products by these communities. We use niche marketing and work with ethnic broadcasters, community workers, interpreters and translators. Further, we have a sound knowledge of distribution networks and, if necessary, can blitz the ethnic media with press releases to spread a message within 24 hours.

Our campaign history

• Cancer Institute NSW - Quit smoking campaigns:
  • "Lady Killer" Campaign (2004)
  • New Year's Eve Campaign (2004/2005)
  • Parents Campaign (2005)
  • Lung Disease (2005)
  • Excuses campaign (2005)
  • Multilingual quitline campaign (2006)
• National Health Warnings Campaign 2006:
  • Amputation
  • Mouth Cancer
• National Breast Cancer Centre ( NBCC) Awareness Campaign targeting Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Vietnamese women( 2005)
• Andrology Australia - What Every Man Needs to know - PR Campaign to promote awareness of the multilingual resource on men's reproductive health (2006)
• Youthsafe - Helping teenagers become safer drivers - PR Campaign for Arabic and Chinese speaking parents (2004)
• Cervical Screening Campaign ( Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese) (2004)
• Driveway safety radio community service announcements in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese for the Motor Accidents Authority of NSW (2003)
• HACC 2003 for Northern Sydney Food and Volunteer Services Promotion
• Falls Prevention 2001 for NSW Health Injury Prevention
• Water Safety 2001 for NSW Department of Sport and Recreation
• Fired Up Campaign Physical Activity 2001 for NSW Department of Sport and Recreation
• World No Tobacco Day 2001 for NSW Health
• World No Tobacco Day 2000 for NSW Health
• Nursing Recruitment Campaign 2000 for NSW Health
• New Years Eve Campaign 1999/2000 for NSW Health
• Physical Activity Campaigns in 1997/1998/1999 for NSW Health
• Smoke Alarm Campaign for NSW Health

Audio/Visual Programs

We have developed community radio segments in Bosnian and Somali and a video on child parenting in Arabic.

Contact us on mhcs@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au for further details.