Wiki Project Med needs your help to bring vital healthcare information to everyone

Though I did not have the opportunity to participate directly, I remember back in 2011, when ProZ.com was supporting Translators without Borders more actively, and my coworker and mentor, Enrique Cavalitto, started mentioning this whole Wiki Project Med thing. What does that mean and why don't they call it Wiki Med Project, my overly-structured brain thought. Enrique was the lead on the ProZ.com side of collaborating with TwB, and aside from helping provide the platform for screening and projects for TwB, also served on their board for a time. It took me a while before I looked into what Wiki Project Med was all about, but when I did, I was impressed with the vision and intention, and I have followed it from afar ever since.

For those not familiar, the Wiki Project Med Healthcare Translation Task Force, started in 2011, seeks to bring high-quality, easy-to-understand health information to as many languages possible. To date, over 25,00 translations have been created in more than 150 languages, at an estimated 23 million+ words.

But we know that the need for easily-accessible health-related information continues to grow, as the information that can be provided continues to grow and evolve, so the need for capable language professionals who can assist in bringing this important information to those who need it also increases.

Right now, one important language need the Wiki Project Med team has is for Portuguese translators, so, let me take out my megaphone if you will, and...

(Clears throat, checks to see if this thing is on)...

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Calling all Portuguese volunteers!

Wiki Project Med is looking for translation coverage into Portuguese.

Joining the project is easy, just go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyzcn0GOfn_IKfz8yBzywR5J8rBmlSoliiL8_-dJPdBJPNdg/viewform , fill out the form, and follow the instructions at the end of that form.

IMPORTANT: If you are a volunteer with ProZ Pro Bono, be sure to indicate this in the form when you fill it out, in the section for "Affiliation". This is how we will be able to connect the Wiki Project Med work you do with your PPB profile and keep your word count updated! If you have colleagues who may be interested and want to help and are not in PPB, please spread the word: it is not a requirement to belong to an organization like PPB in order to participate (you can invite them to volunteer with PPB too, though; the more the merrier).

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(Lowers megaphone, a bit sheepishly, but also notably wishing to continue using it, perhaps to sing a song and draw more attention. Struggles with the on/off button for a moment, and then sets it gently on the floor)

Now, while one immediate need is for volunteers into Portuguese, anyone who translates from English into another language and wants to help people connect with vital health information is invited to join! Just follow those same instructions above. If you have any questions or problems, you can contact the Wiki Project Med team at volunteers@wikiprojectmed.org.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in Wiki Project Med so far, and thank you in advance to those who choose to come on board now!