# How should digital mental health tools support Kiswahili and other Kenyan languages?

URL: https://tymirahealth.com/resources/faqs/how-should-digital-mental-health-tools-support-kiswahili-and-other-kenyan-languages
For: Digital health teams | Digital health and technology | Reviewed by Independent clinical reviewer, Registered mental health clinician, Kenya | Last reviewed 8 November 2026

**Answer:** Translate and culturally adapt, do not just machine-translate. For validated screening tools, use versions that have been formally translated and validated, as wording changes can change scores. For other content, use professional translation with back-translation and test it with users from the target communities. Expect local idioms of distress; ICD-11 notes that cultural expressions can complicate detecting depression. If AI features are used, test performance in each language separately, as models often perform worse in less-resourced languages.

Sources: World Health Organization: https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en - World Health Organization: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/375579 - World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news/item/20-03-2026-towards-responsible-ai-for-mental-health-and-well-being--experts-chart-a-way-forward

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