Black Health Education Collaborative Case Study
Supporting Bilingual Black Health Education Through Canadian French Localization
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Helping a national collaboration make culturally responsive health education, research, and digital learning resources available to francophone audiences across Canada.
About the Black Health Education Collaborative
Since 2024, Art One Translations has supported the Black Health Education Collaborative with Black health translation and the localization of more than 125,000 words into Canadian French. The collaboration began with the eight-module Black Health Primer and expanded to website and platform content, assessments, research materials, multimedia, graphics, and public-facing communications.
The Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC) is a community of Black scholars and practitioners committed to transforming medical and health professional education to improve the health of Black communities across Canada.
BHEC addresses anti-Black racism and the systems that affect the health and well-being of Black communities. Its work draws on Black scholarship, public health research, community knowledge, critical race theory, and anti-racist practice.
One of its major initiatives is the Black Health Primer, a self-paced online course designed to address gaps in education on Black health and anti-Black racism in Canadian medicine and public health. The course was created for medical and health learners, faculty, educators, practising health professionals, and participants across health disciplines and organizations.
Challenge
The Black Health Primer addressed specialized and sensitive subject matter that required more than literal translation. Topics included:
- The history and legacy of slavery and anti-Black racism in Canada
- Anti-Black racism in healthcare and public health systems
- Medical bias, race science, and racial health inequities
- Social and structural determinants of Black health
- Intersectionality and diverse Black identities
- Race-based data, anti-racist practice, and institutional accountability
The Canadian French content needed to remain accurate, culturally responsive, gender-inclusive, and respectful of the terminology used to describe diverse Black communities in Canada. Identity-related and anti-racism terminology required careful research and consultation with the client.
Consistency was equally important. The work extended beyond the course modules to website and interface text, forms, assessments, surveys, research content, transcripts, graphics, and communications. Some files also contained non-editable text and visual layouts requiring multilingual desktop publishing. Non-public materials were handled in accordance with formal confidentiality
Solution
Art One Translations developed a Canadian French localization workflow combining Translation, Editing, and Proofreading (TEP), terminology management, eLearning localization, multimedia support, desktop publishing, and linguistic quality assurance.
Scope of Work
Services included:
- English-to-Canadian-French translation
- Independent editing, proofreading, and final linguistic QA
- Terminology management and translation-memory maintenance
- eLearning, website, and user-interface localization
- Assessment, survey, and research translation
- Video transcript and caption-content translation
- Image and graphic localization
- Multilingual desktop publishing
- Public health and community communications translation
Black Health Primer and the Learner Journey
The initial phase, over 71,000 words of content, centred on localizing the eight-module Black Health Primer.
The materials included narrated educational content, patient scenarios, learning activities, reflection exercises, quizzes, knowledge checks, module objectives, supplementary resources, community stories, expert perspectives, and pre-course and post-course activities.
Art One also translated content supporting the complete learner journey:
- Website and Black Health Primer homepage content
- Registration, login, and group-registration pages
- Course-shell text, navigation elements, menus, buttons, and prompts
- Facilitator guides and supporting instructions
- Knowledge assessments, self-assessment surveys, and feedback instruments
- Post-course evaluations and commitment-to-change activities
The translation team preserved the educational intent of each activity while ensuring that instructions, questions, answer choices, feedback, and navigation remained clear and consistent in Canadian French.
Research, Website, and Public-Facing Content
Following the initial course localization, BHEC continued working with Art One on research, digital, and promotional materials. The work included qualitative public health and medical education reports, situational assessments, research recruitment materials, interview questions, surveys, evaluations, data-collection information, website updates, blog posts, backgrounders, launch communications, emails, postcards, and social media content.
Because some research and project materials were confidential, they are described only in general terms.
Multimedia
and Desktop Publishing
Art One translated video transcripts and caption content into Canadian French, localized text embedded in images and graphics, and provided desktop publishing to produce complete French-language visual assets. This helped maintain consistency among course text, narrated content, visuals, and supporting resources.
Terminology and Client Consultation
A dedicated glossary and translation memory were developed and maintained throughout the engagement. Particular attention was given to terminology related to anti-Black racism, Black identities, health equity, social and structural determinants of health, intersectionality, gender-inclusive language, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, race-based data, and anti-racist healthcare practice.
The client requested gender-neutral wording or fully written gender-inclusive forms rather than truncated constructions that could reduce readability. When terminology required contextual or community-specific decisions, Art One documented questions and confirmed preferred usage with the BHEC team.
Results & Impact
Supporting a National French-Language Learning Experience
The Canadian French Black Health Primer launched in 2025, making the eight-module course available to francophone learners and health professionals across Canada. Terminology and messaging remained aligned across the modules, website, registration materials, navigation, assessments, surveys, evaluations, transcripts, and supporting resources.
Expanding Access and Supporting Ongoing Work
The collaboration extended French-language access beyond the core program through translated research materials, website content, community engagement resources, and public communications. Dedicated translation memories and terminology resources also provided a consistent foundation for future updates and new assignments as BHEC’s content and programs evolved.
Client Feedback
“Art One Translations provided an exceptional experience from start to finish! Their team was incredibly professional, with quick communication and excellent customer service. The translations were not only high-quality but also delivered right on time. I highly recommend them. A truly reliable and efficient service!”
— Javiera-Violeta Duran Kairies, Program Specialist, Black Health Education Collaborative
Related services:
Nonprofit Translation Services · Healthcare Translation · eLearning Localization · Canadian French Translation · Website Localization · Subtitling & Captioning · Multilingual Desktop Publishing · Editing and Linguistic QA · Terminology Management
Relevant sectors:
Black Health and Health Equity · Medical and Public Health Education · Healthcare · Community Health · Research and Education · eLearning · Nonprofits
Looking for a Language Partner for Health Equity and Community Education?
Art One Translations helps healthcare organizations, educational institutions, research teams, and nonprofits make specialized content accessible across languages. Our services include Canadian French translation, eLearning and website localization, multimedia translation, desktop publishing, and terminology management for complex, culturally responsive programs.