Language Preferences for Health and Food Information Online
Author Information
Author(s): Punam Mony Singh, Carly A Wight, Olcan Sercinoglu, David C Wilson, Artem Boytsov, Manish N Raizada
Primary Institution: University of Toronto
Hypothesis
Do users prefer to search for health information in their local language rather than in English?
Conclusion
Most health and food-related institutions do not translate their websites into multiple languages, despite a strong preference for local language searches.
Supporting Evidence
- 80%-90% of health and food institutions do not translate their websites.
- Only 1% of searches for 'avian flu' in non-English-speaking nations were in English.
- Spanish-language searches for health information in the US occurred at less than 1% of the English search rate.
- Search rates for health information in local languages were significantly higher than in English.
Takeaway
People like to search for health information in their own language, not just in English, but many websites don't offer translations.
Methodology
We measured the frequency of domain name overlaps for health-related search terms across different languages using Google search data.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in search engine results and the limited availability of health information in non-English languages.
Limitations
The study may not account for all languages or the quality of translations available online.
Participant Demographics
Internet users from 227 nations, with a focus on non-English speakers.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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