Translation and interpretation are incredibly important services that must be made available to everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to take a moment to highlight the people who make this possible, and the services and initiatives they are working on.

In normal circumstances, it has been shown that people who speak little to no English tend to have worse health outcomes from routine procedures than English speakers do. One major reason for this is non-English speakers might not fully understand the directions given by the doctor and therefore don’t manage their recovery appropriately. This disparity can be even larger in a medical crisis, like we are experiencing now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, many people are working hard to close this gap by providing as much information about the coronavirus in as many languages as possible. Pooja Chandrashekar, a first year Harvard medical student, started a movement to translate critical information about COVID-19 “in an effort to help patients from vulnerable communities know when and how to seek care.” Called the COVID-19 Health Literacy Project, this initiative now includes over 35 institutions, and has translated into 34 languages. This is an incredible volunteer program that will certainly help many people manage this health crisis. If you are interested in contributing to this project, click here for more information!

This pandemic is especially hard for children, whose lives have been completely disrupted for something that they can’t fully understand. It is important to support them and give them information they can relate to, which is why the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (a collaboration of various United Nations organizations) created a children’s book that would show children how to protect themselves from the virus and how to “manage difficult emotions when confronted with a new and rapidly changing reality.” The group surveyed over 1700 children, parents, caregivers and teachers from 104 countries to find out what children’s mental health needs are during the pandemic, and to examine how different people cope with COVID-19. The survey was available in Arabic, English, Italian, French, and Spanish, to make sure that a diverse range of people were able to share their experiences. These responses formed the framework for the book, whose writers wanted to make sure that the story would resonate with children across the globe. The story, called “My Hero is You,” was initially released in six languages, and with the help of volunteer translators, has now been translated in 32 languages and counting. The book is available for free online; if you would like to read it, or if you want more information on how to volunteer to translate, please click here.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many public officials have been having regular press briefings, sometimes even daily. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are a key part of these briefings, as they allow deaf and hard-of-hearing people to understand the same information in real time. Because there are so many briefings, these interpreters have been gaining a lot of attention and admiration for their work, as seen in such headlines as “‘One of the world’s best’: Idaho interpreter wins fans during COVID-19 news conferences” and “American Sign Language interpreters shine during COVID-19 press conferences.” Jonathan Lamberton, an ASL interpreter for Bill de Blasio, gave an interview where he described the rewards and challenges of interpreting during times as difficult as now. He told the reporter that “Sometimes when I’m interpreting it’s a challenge to not cry myself, it is on my mind but I’m able to put it on the mental backburner while I’m focusing on my job,” which highlights the emotional strength that our interpreters must have in addition to their linguistic skills. It’s no wonder that ASL interpreters are gaining fans!

We are incredibly thankful for all of the translators, interpreters, and other language professionals who are continuing to work or volunteer to make sure everyone has access to the information they need. They inspire us to keep doing our best to share information in as many ways as we can. We are proud to be part of the language services community!