| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Despite the Internet and the global nature of aid organizations, hundreds of millions of people still live in the information dark ages. Children die of dehydration in areas where the simple oral rehydration ingredients-water, salt, and sugar-are available, but health posters on how to use them are in a different language. Anti-retrovirals can be issued to HIV positive patients, but if the instructions on how to take them are in the wrong language, confusion about the drug regimen will lead to side effects and patients desisting with treatment. The issue is not access to treatment, but access to knowledge, and language is the barrier. Access to knowledge is the linchpin in the fight against poverty, exploitation and medical disparities, and "the language last mile" is the final hurdle to bringing knowledge to every corner of the world.
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