Poor English to Spanish Translation Services Cause COVID Chaos in Texas

On Sunday March 22nd this year in Hidalgo County, Texas, Judge Richard F. Cortez announced stay at home orders that would come into force on March 26th.

Like in hundreds of other counties, the purpose of orders was to stem the spread of Covid-19. However, not investing in adequate English to Spanish translation services, saw orders fail to reach many county residents.

 

Poor English to Spanish Translation Services Left Latinos in the Dark

For the most part, shelter at home orders were heard loud and clear by the majority of English speaking county residents. However, failing to translate orders to Spanish resulted in hundreds of Latinos later being stopped at police checkpoints.

·         In Texas, over a third of residents don’t speak English as their native language.

·         Having a large Hispanic community means that millions of Texans speak Spanish as their first language.

·         As a result of shelter at home orders not being made widely available in Spanish, most people later stopped at police checkpoints were Latinos.

As Black and Latino Americans are more at risk of Covid-19 than other ethnic groups, not being able to access up to date information may have put real lives at risk. However, not translating shelter at home orders to Spanish, was just the tip of a poor communication iceberg in Texas.

Texas Invested in ASL Sign Language Interpreters - But Not Spanish Translators

Saying that State officials in Texas failed to communicate important information to all State residents throughout the March Covid-19 outbreak is an underStatement.

Hiring an American Sign Language interpreter to translate press briefings seemed to suggest officials were on the right track. However, almost no effort was made to cater to the needs of millions of other non-English speaking Texans.

·         During the Coronavirus crisis, no effort was made to translate transcripts of State Governor press briefings to Spanish or other languages.

·         Updates concerning new Covid-19 hotspots were only made available in English.

·         When Texas began allowing State businesses to reopen, guidelines were made available in English only, leaving many Spanish speaking residents unsure how to proceed.

 

English to Spanish Translation Services are Easily Accessible

It goes without saying that Latinos and other ethnic groups feel let down by how Texas State officials failed to communicate vital information in March this year. However, what makes the situation particularly frustrating, is the fact that English to Spanish translation services are easily accessible all across the State.

At Languagers, we regularly connect businesses and government agencies with Spanish translators and interpreters all across the United States. Best of all, it is possible to work with almost all our translators remotely.

 

Are You a Texas Community Leader?

Are you a State official or community leader in Texas? If so, now is the time to ensure that history doesn't repeat in the event of a second wave of Covid-19.

Find out just how easy it can be to translate important public announcements quickly and confidentially, by reaching out to one of our support team.