In April 2006 Dr. David Narita, working with OMF in Cambodia, emailed Hesperian and asked for permission to translate and update the Khmer edition of Where There Is No Doctor. The only copies available in Khmer, he wrote, were printed in an old font that many people could no longer decipher, had been photocopied and re-bound so many times that even new copies were mostly illegible, and contained out of date medical information. In 2009, he printed a full translation of the 9th edition of Doctor.
Around the same time, Hesperian was looking for groups to begin translations of our newest book, A Community Guide to Environmental Health – Dr. Narita didn’t feel he could take the project on directly, but recommended one of his partners from the work on Where There is No Doctor, Mao Boran. Mr. Boran recruited two partners, a medical translator and an illustrator, and together with support from Dr. Narita they worked tirelessly to translate Environmental Health into Khmer, and to adapt 179 illustrations for a Cambodian setting. Throughout the process, they ensured that the page layout and numbers matched the English edition, so that Khmer and English speakers can work together using the two books.
Both books are now available in Khmer at three bookstores in Cambodia – Angkor Thom Bookstore, International Bookstore, and Peace Book Center – and can be purchased together for a reduced price. In addition, OMF is using both books as a part of their community health education and health evangelism work. Cambodia faces an array of obstacles to achieving health for all; 34% of the population lives on less than one dollar per day, and just under half of all Cambodia children under five are malnourished.
Mao writes, ‘I'm really proud to be part of the project, and always feel good when I got home and see the book. I expect to have more opportunity to expand my knowledge from translation, as well as to bring benefit to Cambodian people. What is most important is that I am really grateful for Hesperian to have brought books to Cambodia.’ Mao completed the translation just in time for his recent marriage, and we wish him the best in both ventures!
You can see a full list of Khmer translations of Hesperian titles here.
Thank you so much for this post!
Posted by: Mao Boran | June 29, 2011 at 08:31 PM