Abortion In Translation

            The Abortion Care Network (ACN) has digitized a series of videos titled “Abortion In Translation” so that anyone can view the videos on the internet prior to or during an abortion appointment. The ten videos are accessible through the ACN website under the "Considering Abortion" tab http://www.abortioncarenetwork.org/considering-abortion/translation-abortion. Languages are Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Lao/Thai, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Japanese, Serbo-Croatian, and Haitian Creole. Although the videos were originally made over a decade ago, there is still nothing available on video or audio that is accessible to women whose first language is other than English. ACN hopes to take advantage of  “crowd sourcing” to fill existing gaps; crowd sourcing is a way to involve individuals with language skills via the internet to contribute translations of updated information or to provide new languages.

            The first four videos were done by Peg Johnston and her staff at Southern Tier Women’s Services (Binghamton, NY) in 1994 in a very basic “talking heads” format. The second six videos used the same script, but were more professionally done by Claire Keyes and staff at Allegheny Reproductive Health in Pittsburgh. “By now, though, much has changed,” said Peg Johnston. “Technology makes everything so much more accessible, including, hopefully, potential translators.” The information has also changed including some birth control options and medication abortion options, although the essential abortion information remains the same. Initially, a video format with side by side English and foreign language translation was chosen so that clinic staff could have some interaction about a patient’s medical history. “We also noticed that in some cases providing a paper translation was not helpful if a woman was not literate in her own language,” commented Johnston. Abortion providers purchased hundreds of the videos for their patients.

            The Abortion Care Network works to help their members maintain high quality abortion care by offering resources and training, as well as support and advocacy. Membership is open to any independent abortion provider and allied individuals and organizations who contribute to abortion care, including activists and pro choice supporters. The website at www.abortioncarenetwork.org has many useful aids and handouts for women and their families in addition to the videos, and all handouts  have been translated into Spanish. For more information or to volunteer to be a translator, contact Charlotte Taft, Director at (202) 419-1444 or ctaft@abortioncarenetwork.org.