In our own voices and words: Creating English- and Hawaiian-language storybooks on dementia

Abstract

Native Hawaiians are at a high risk for dementia, with Alzheimer's disease being the sixth leading cause of death for Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders at age 65+. Many Native Hawaiian elders reside with families, including youth, in multigenerational housing for cultural, economic, and health status reasons, and as such Native Hawaiian families often provide the majority of care to loved ones with dementia. However, few educational materials are available for Native Hawaiian youth, and existing materials are in the English language and are not specific to the Hawaiʻi context. This paper focuses on the translation of a storybook for Native Hawaiian youth who may be encountering dementia in their families, titled Pōmai and her Papa, into ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language). Some specific challenges in conducting this translation are discussed, and lessons are shared that may aid others endeavoring to translate health communications into their own Indigenous language.