Language translation during disaster: A comparative analysis of five national approaches

O’Brien, Sharon; Federici, Federico; Cadwell, Patrick; Marlowe, Jay; Gerber, Brian J.

doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.07.006

Cited by 83 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…feedback about services or information about people who have been injured or require help) and for coordination of aid providers. Access to information has been described as a right of populations affected by crisis (see, O'Brien et al, 2018). It has also been suggested that information constitutes a basic humanitarian good alongside food, water, shelter and healthcare (Greenwood et al, 2017).…”

Section: Language and Exclusion In Humanitarian Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics at the Intersection of Crisis Translation and Humanitarian Innovation

Hunt

O’Brien

Cadwell

et al. 2019

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs

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Language and its translation are important operational concerns in humanitarian crisis response. Information sharing, coordination, collaboration and relationship-building all revolve around the ability to communicate effectively. However, doing so is hampered in many humanitarian crises by linguistic differences and a lack of access to adequate translation. Various innovative practices and products are being developed and deployed with the goal of addressing these concerns. In this theoretical paper, we critically appraise the ethical terrain of crisis translation and humanitarian innovation. We identify ethical issues related to three broad themes. First, we foreground questions of justice in access to translation and its prioritisation in contexts of widespread and pressing needs. Second, we consider the relationship between humanitarian ethics and the ethics of crisis translation. We argue for the importance of attending to epistemic justice in humanitarian crisis response, and consider how Ricoeur’s conception of linguistic hospitality provides insights into how relationships in humanitarian settings can be understood through the lens of an ethics of exchange while also acknowledging the steep asymmetries that often exist in these contexts. Finally, we identify issues related to how translation innovations intersect with humanitarian values and humanitarians’ ethical commitments.

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Section: Language and Exclusion In Humanitarian Crisismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics at the Intersection of Crisis Translation and Humanitarian Innovation

Hunt

O’Brien

Cadwell

et al. 2019

Journal of Humanitarian Affairs

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“…Increasing cultural and linguistic diversity across the globe intensifies the complexity of the communicative situation, and communicating appropriately is recognised as a complex process fraught with challenges that results in significant negative impacts if not addressed (Arlikatti et al, 2014;Henry et al, 2011;Nepal et al, 2012). Ground-breaking scholarship focusing on interpreting in crises (Bulut and Kurultay, 2001;Moser-Mercer et al, 2014;Tipton, 2011) and translation in crises (Federici, 2016;Federici and Cadwell, 2018;O'Brien et al, 2018) has begun to address some of these challenges. Nevertheless, many more questions remain to be answered.…”

Section: Defining and Delimiting Trust Distrust Translationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trust, distrust and translation in a disaster

Cadwell

2019

DPM

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe, explain and provide context for relationships between translation, trust and distrust using accounts of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake given by foreign residents who experienced the disaster. Design/methodology/approach This research provides a qualitative analysis of ethnographic interview data drawn from a broader study of communication in the 2011 disaster using the cases of 28 foreign residents of the disaster zone from 12 different countries of origin. Findings The study confirms the general importance, the linguistic challenges and the context dependency of trust in disaster-related communication at the response phase. It found that translation was involved in some trust reasoning carried out by foreign residents and that translation was an ad hoc act undertaken by linguistically and culturally proficient acquaintances and friends. Research limitations/implications The research examines a limited range of trust phenomena and research participants: only reason-based, social trust described by documented foreign residents of the 2011 disaster zone in Japan was considered. Furthermore, generalisations from the case study data should be approached with caution. Originality/value This paper adds to the literature on trust and disaster response as opposed to trust and disaster preparedness, which has already been comprehensively studied. It responds to calls for more studies of the role of context in the understanding of trust and for greater attention to be paid in research to relationships between trust and other phenomena.

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“…O'Brien [ 13 ] noted that while the crisis communication literature is gaining increased recognition of the importance of language translation and cross-cultural communication, there is still a lack of in-depth studies focusing on the translation experience and the associated implications for crisis communication. In another study, the authors described the translation of emergency information as an underexplored or neglected research topic [ 14 ]. They analysed the disaster response approaches for five countries, namely New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, Japan and the USA, and found different levels of inadequacies in the use of language translation [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In another study, the authors described the translation of emergency information as an underexplored or neglected research topic [ 14 ]. They analysed the disaster response approaches for five countries, namely New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, Japan and the USA, and found different levels of inadequacies in the use of language translation [ 14 ]. In a more recent article, the need for increased attention to the translation of emergency information was again highlighted, with a recommendation that this be included in emergency planning and preparation [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative translation of emergency messages (Co-TEM): An Australian case study

Ogie

Perez

2020

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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Emergency messaging in highly multicultural societies can be problematic when the language of communication is restricted to the official language. The ‘ideal solution’— professional translation— is high-priced, mainly because of issues associated with ongoing cost burden, administrative/legal implications, and the challenge of finding available translators for every unique language pairs. Citizen translation can potentially help to break down the communication barriers between emergency authorities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. However, emergency authorities in many countries are still sceptical about relying on non-professional citizen translators to engender emergency messaging in multiple languages. This paper presents new findings from an Australian case study to further establish the evidence base required to support a successful implementation of citizen translation. This qualitative research contributes by investigating how members of CALD communities respond to the messages or warnings issued by emergency authorities, including the implications that the observed responses have for implementing citizen translation of emergency messages. A distinct form of citizen translation, known as the Collaborative Translation of Emergency Messages (Co-TEM), is proposed along with its underlying principles for specifically delivering the translation of official warnings or emergency messages. The study reports on key findings from Co-TEM that could further strengthen or extend existing knowledge in citizen translation. It was observed that while citizen translators could successfully translate emergency messages, a major threat to Co-TEM is that the official messages to be translated are sometimes flawed with jargons, ambiguity and lack of clarity. Recommendations are made to address this issue.

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Language translation during disaster: A comparative analysis of five national approaches

Cited by 83 publications

References 21 publications

Ethics at the Intersection of Crisis Translation and Humanitarian Innovation

Ethics at the Intersection of Crisis Translation and Humanitarian Innovation

Trust, distrust and translation in a disaster

Collaborative translation of emergency messages (Co-TEM): An Australian case study

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