A Culturally Appropriate and Linguistically Understandable Translation Approach: For Dementia-related Public Health Information

Abstract

Dementia is a leading cause of death in Australia. As Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) ageing population grows, dementia-related public health information must be scientifically accurate, culturally appropriate and linguistically understandable. However, many existing translations rely on literal translation, which can misrepresent dementia, reduce accessibility and reinforce stigma. In Chinese, the common term 痴呆症 (chī dāi zhèng, Stupidity and Idiocy Syndrome) is especially problematic because it associates dementia with stupidity and contributes to shame, fear and avoidance. This thesis proposes the Culturally Appropriate and Linguistically Understandable (CALU) Translation Model for translating dementia-related public health information. It develops and demonstrates CALU through Chinese translations of English dementia resources, with a focus on renaming dementia in Chinese. Drawing on interviews with twenty-one Chinese-speaking dementia experts across the Asia-Pacific region, the thesis identifies 认知障碍症 (rèn zhī zhàng ài zhèng, Cognitive Impairment Syndrome) as a scientifically accurate and culturally appropriate alternative to 痴呆症. It further evaluates CALU translations with Chinese-speaking community readers and applies the model in two Australian dementia campaigns: Face Dementia and Facing Dementia Together. The thesis argues that effective health translation requires more than semantic equivalence. It must address stigma, cultural meaning, reader comprehension and community trust. By integrating expert consultation, community feedback and iterative translation strategies, CALU offers a practical framework for improving multilingual public health communication. The study contributes to translation studies, dementia communication and CALD health promotion by showing how culturally responsive translation can reduce stigma, improve accessibility and support equitable dementia awareness among Chinese-speaking communities.