Students from the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures help with communication between foreign travelers and medics/community staff amid the pandemic.

In light of the global spread of COVID-19, Shanghai, a metropolis that receives a large number of international travelers each year, has become an important frontline for preventing imported cases. However, the city’s hospitals and neighborhood committees have difficulties communicating with people speaking different languages from all around the world during health checks and treatment.

To help break down the language barriers, the College of Foreign Languages and Literatures of Fudan University has set up a multilingual volunteer team to meet the translation needs at communities and hospitals.

The team, composed of more than 60 students, is supervised by Dean Gao Yongwei and more than ten Chinese and foreign professors, and advised by the Children’s Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. At present, the team covers nine languages including English, Japanese, French, Korean, Italian, Persian, Spanish, Russian, and German.

A screenshot of the Spanish translation the students work on

“I have always been thinking of how I can use my foreign language skills to help medical staff on the frontline. It is my honor and a great pleasure to participate in making the multilingual pocket book”, said Huang Ruitong, a sophomore from the Spanish Department.

Multilingual pocket book for health checks

In order to provide more efficienct help, the team has produced a multilingual pocket book with concise answers to common questions for suspected cases at hospitals and during community visits.