With over 198 million speakers globally, Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Recently Bahasa Indonesia has been added along with four other new languages to Cochrane.org and the Cochrane Library. Adding Bahasa Indonesia to the list of 21 languages that plain language summaries are translated in, marks a significant stride in addressing the healthcare information needs of this extensive and diverse population. This inclusion not only breaks linguistic barriers but also empowers individuals to make evidence-informed health decisions globally.

From left to right: Datu Respatika, Lukman Ade Chandra, Kristia Hermawan, Anggraeni Ayu Rengganis (Translation Manager), Afrilia Intan Pratiwi, Alfia Fatma Zaharo, Mawaddah Ar Rochmah, Detty Siti Nurdiati (Director of Cochrane Indonesia), Ajeng Viska Icanervilia.

The addition of the new language addition is due to the strong collaboration between Cochrane Malaysia and Cochrane Indonesia. They have shared a longstanding history of mutual support since their inception and this new Indonesian translation project has deepened that bond between the teams. Cochrane Malaysia has graciously extended their assistance and expertise to support Cochrane Indonesia in establishing their translation project.

“I am particularly happy about it because I feel a part of the project. Malaysia and Indonesia are like siblings, and we try to support each other where we can."

- Prof. Jacqueline Ho, Cochrane Malaysia Co-Director

 

At the outset, Teguh Haryo Sasongko, Cochrane's Malaysia Translation Project Manager, arranged an online meeting with Cochrane Indonesia to outline the management of the Malaysian project and discuss how the team encourages its volunteers. In May of this year, during the Indonesian team's visit to Malaysia, they connected with Nila Pillai (as shown in the above photo; seen in the bottom right sharing with the Indonesian team). Nila has been serving as the Cochrane Malaysia Support Officer and coordinator of Cochrane Malaysia's Malay Translation Project since its inception in 2015. Nila shared insights on how she manages the translation project, highlighting both challenges and successes. The two teams recently collaborated in organizing joint Cochrane training workshops in both countries, with plans for further collaboration in various domains.

“Indonesia has the 4th largest population in the world and even though Malay and Indonesian have some similarities, being able to offer Cochrane evidence in Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia’s main and official language, marks an important milestone for us."

- Dr. Detty Nurdiati, Cochrane Indonesia Director

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