Translated health information about medicines

Taking medicines can help improve your health. However, there are potential risks involved in using all medicines, including prescription, over-the-counter, traditional and herbal medicines. These risks can be higher for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, particularly those with low English language proficiency and literacy levels.

NPS MedicineWise has produced translated resources for communities speaking a range of languages. These include Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Croatian, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Vietnamese. Not all resources are available in all languages.

• Active Ingredient Prescribing: all you need to know (Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Punjabi, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese)
• Medicines lists (Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Vietnamese)
• Choosing Wisely Australia: '5 questions to ask your doctor (Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Croatian, Farsi, Greek, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Turkish, Vietnamese)
• Antibiotics: the facts (Card #1: Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese)
• Changes to codeine availability in Australia (Resources tab: Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Spanish)
• Be MedicineWise Week 2019 posters (download resources tab: Arabic, simplified and traditional Chinese, Croatian, Greek, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Vietnamese)
  
  

Queries or questions?

Please contact us with any questions or queries on promoting the safe use of medicines to CALD consumers.

Translation and Interpreting Service (TIS) National is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for people who do not speak English and for the English speakers who need to communicate with them.

TIS National is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for any person or organisation in Australia requiring interpreting services. It provides immediate telephone interpreting services, as well as pre-booked telephone and on-site interpreting. To use an interpreter over the phone, call 131 450.

Access to free telephone interpreting services is available for:

• registered pharmacies around Australia
  
• general practitioners providing Medicare services and their reception staff to arrange appointments and provide results of medical tests
  
• non-profit, non-government, community-based organisations for case work and emergency services, where the organisation does not receive funding to provide these services
  
• local government authorities to communicate with non-English speaking residents on issues such as rates, garbage collection and urban services.
  

Visit the TIS National website for more information on specific services. If you have questions about your eligibility for free interpreting, please contact the Client Liaison and Promotions team at TIS National on 1300 655 820.