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Thorne Harbour Health is a leading community organisation committed to supporting and enhancing the health of people who identify as LGBTI. Ethnolink is proud to collaborate with Thorne Harbour Health on a range of initiatives, including bringing multilingual campaigns to life. In a recent partnership, we worked closely with Thorne Harbour Health on their "What Works" campaign for the prevention and treatment of HIV within the LGBTI community. Our team translated the campaign website, posters, and videos into seven languages — Arabic, Burmese, Simplified Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, and Vietnamese — ensuring its vital message reached diverse audiences effectively. To ensure sensitivity and appropriate language, we involved the community in the review process, ensuring the translations resonated with and respected the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the audience.
Thorne Harbour Health, founded in 1983 during Victoria's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has established itself as a pivotal organisation dedicated to the health and well-being of LGBTIQ+ communities. They provide a comprehensive range of services, including prevention education, treatment and care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), and counselling. With a commitment to dignity and inclusivity, Thorne Harbour Health continues to adapt and expand its services, ensuring that all individuals across gender, sex, and sexual diversity can fully participate in society. Their approach is rooted in a social model of health, emphasising community input and collaboration to address evolving health challenges and promote well-being for all.
Thorne Harbour Health, a pivotal community organisation supporting the LGBTI community, sought to expand the reach of their "What Works" campaign for HIV prevention and treatment. The challenge was to create a multilingual website and accompanying materials, including posters and videos, that conveyed critical health information in a way that was accessible and culturally sensitive to diverse linguistic audiences. This required not only translating the core content but also addressing the technical intricacies of a dynamic website, such as functional text and SEO metadata, across seven languages: Arabic, Burmese, Simplified Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
Ethnolink worked collaboratively with Thorne Harbour Health to address these challenges. Our project management team conducted a comprehensive analysis to identify all elements requiring translation, including interactive components like navigation menus, SEO metadata, and media materials such as posters and videos. We engaged directly with community representatives to ensure the language used was culturally appropriate and resonated with each audience. We maintained open communication with Thorne Harbour Health, providing regular updates and facilitating discussions to ensure transparency and alignment on the project’s goals. This collaborative approach allowed us to adapt swiftly to any emerging challenges, ensuring a seamless integration of translations into the website framework and all campaign materials.
The multilingual "What Works" campaign was successfully launched, enabling Arabic, Burmese, Simplified Chinese, Filipino, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese, and Vietnamese speakers to access essential health information with the same ease as English speakers. This initiative significantly broadened the campaign's reach and impact within multicultural LGBTI communities. The project not only demonstrated Ethnolink’s expertise in delivering culturally sensitive translations but also reinforced the value of community involvement in ensuring the effectiveness of health communications. Thorne Harbour Health continues to partner with Ethnolink, reflecting the success of this collaboration and our shared commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of diverse communities.
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