25 Million Americans Don’t Speak English: Translators and 翻译s Essential in Pandemic
在写这篇文章的时候, 数百万美国人被命令呆在家里, instructions that are hard enough to grasp if you speak English—even harder still for the 百分之八 被认为英语熟练程度有限(LEP)的美国人. As new updates and guidelines are issued by the day—in English-only communication, for the most part—what happens if critical messages aren’t communicated to LEP citizens? To put it bluntly: How are we going to stop the spread of the virus if a group of 25 million Americans goes uninformed?
几个州和县的网站都依赖于谷歌翻译, a service that’s better than nothing but often fails to convey information in an accurate and clear way. This method also assumes LEP citizens will find and successfully navigate the website on their own. 波士顿等城市正在努力为所有居民提供服务, 尽管他们的语言能力和互联网接入. 该市推出了 提供COVID-19更新的多语种文本服务 and also distributed informative pamphlets outlining preventative measures and city resources.
那么企业、医院和政府机构呢? 好吧, many are calling on the often behind-the-scenes language services industry, largely made up of freelance translators and interpreters and language services providers (LSP) who serve as intermediaries between end clients and independent contractors.
哈金翻译公司的梅丽莎·哈金., 专营葡萄牙语的精品LSP, 西班牙语, 和英语语言, has seen a 32% increase in workload for February when compared to the same month last year. 哈金说:“这一峰值与疫情爆发特别相关。. Her company receives daily requests to translate different types of content related to the pandemic: internal communications for human resources, 旅游报告, 国际研究界的紧急科学论文, 以及新的州或国家政策, 等.
“Most of the requests are urgent, so we’ve been working extra hours,” Harkin continued. “永利登录网址过去也经历过类似的高峰, 比如H1N1流感大流行, 埃博拉病毒疫情, 以及2011年里约热内卢的洪水和泥石流.她不确定的是这种情况会持续多久. “The full global economic impact of the pandemic is yet to be seen,”她说。.
史蒂夫长而柔软的, vice president of translation services at Cesco Linguistic Services headquartered in Denver, 科罗拉多州, 一直在加班吗, 一周七天, to service COVID-19-related translation needs for clients since lateFebruary. “永利登录网址看到对翻译服务的需求激增,”他说. “一切都很紧急. 永利登录网址得尽快把消息传出去.”
Clients requesting these services range from the 科罗拉多州 Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) to hospitals, 诊所, 公立学校, 非营利组织, 以及社会服务. They’re working around the clock to translate critical health and safety information for the LEP public. 这包括旅行情况介绍, 关于正确洗手的备忘录, 以及对检测程序和保持社交距离的解释, 在其他数百人中.
“事情在不断变化. 有一天,, we translated a sign for the CDHPE stating: ‘CDPHE is not offering COVID-19 testing for the general public,’”兰克说. The next day, a state of emergency was declared, and they started offering testing. “然后,永利登录网址必须翻译一个新的标志.”
对于Translations in Motion, Inc .的远程团队来说., a few of their contractors played a critical role in the medical care of American expats at the onset of COVID-19 in China. When the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) airlifted American expats from Hubei Province and Wuhan City back to the states, 感染者被送往医院接受治疗, while those not showing symptoms were quarantined on Marine Corps and Air Force bases. Translations in Motion was contracted to provide interpreting services to LEP people quarantined there. The contract was later expanded to provide services for exposed passengers from the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess cruise ships quarantined on other bases. 在过去的几个月, 该公司派出了一个由9名广东人组成的团队, 普通话, 越南, 和老挝翻译在基地长期工作. The interpreters are considered an integral part of the medical team and receive the same treatment in terms of personal protection and training.
与此同时,艾琳娜·兰登,阿尔科
作为一名自由翻译, my work has never been more meaningful as I (virtually) work alongside thousands of other language cohorts across the world to ensure everyone has the same access to critical information, 不管他们的母语是什么. 对任何人来说,这都不是一切照旧的情况, and perhaps it’s that one universal reality that unifies us all in the midst of social distancing, self-isolation, 和检疫.
“让我印象深刻的是,每个人都很友善,”兰克说. “It’s nice to work with people who are in crisis mode, yet no one is lashing out. 我从早上5点开始工作.m. 到12:30.m. 昨天做这件事感觉很好. 这是大家的紧急情况.”
作者简介
Molly Yurick is a 西班牙语-to-English translator and serves as the Deputy Chair of Public Relations for 永利登录网址, 哪个代表多于10,遍布103个国家的1000名笔译和口译员. For more information on ATA or translation and interpreting professionals, please visit jgqbd.su-de.com.
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ATA provides content for professional and trade publications to spread insight to a wide range of readers. 本文发表于以下出版物:
- 多语种的见解 (2020年4月20日)
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