Breaking Barriers: The Role of Multilingual Weather Forecasts in American Communities
Over the decades, scientists have worked tirelessly within the weather enterprise to improve warnings and risk communication to make access to life-saving information more accessible. One particularly large issue within the vein of risk communication— is language.
The Issue of Linguistic Gaps
Linguistic gaps are an issue of particular significance when discussing risk communication — one that becomes glaringly apparent in the face of life-threatening weather in the United States like tornadoes, hurricanes, and flash floods. Without proper communication and a language barrier, suddenly risk communication becomes much more convoluted, and the need to get the message across more dire. The importance of multilingual weather forecasts extends beyond mere convenience; it is a matter of safety and inclusivity. By catering to diverse linguistic backgrounds, meteorological services ensure that every individual, irrespective of their proficiency in English, can access accurate weather updates.
Today, we are discussing the importance of accessibility and language within the weather enterprise, it’s history, resources, and how we might better our own communities
Texas is a state home to some of the most intense weather in the United States, and is consistently in the top 3 states for most tornadoes and tornado-related fatalities in the country. It’s also home to an incredible amount of diversity — of which includes over 11 million Spanish speaking residents (the second highest in the nation second to California). Now imagine this scenario: a Spanish-speaking family residing in Texas, an area that is prone to tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes— facing the challenge of interpreting an approaching weather system that is forecasted solely in English.
There are two important things to note here:
1.) While weather and radio broadcasts in other languages, particularly Spanish, DO exist in many areas, there are distinct limitations. Often times broadcasts in Spanish are limited to certain areas, limited to specific hours, or rely upon whether or not there is the availability of a Spanish-speaking meteorologist or radio host.
2.) The second factor to consider is level of fluency, particularly when we begin to look at more nuanced forecasting, like that of severe weather watches and real-time warnings. According to the Migration Policy Institute in 2021, just over 50% of foreign-born Texas residents speak English “less than well”
This can have bigger implications should there be instances of live severe weather coverage in English. While some parts of the message might be understood, certain phrasing or commands to shelter can and have historically been misinterpreted. While individuals might know there’s a severe thunderstorm warning, lack of full comprehension or inability to understand the severity of a situation due to a language barrier could — and has been— dire.
Let’s talk about two notable examples.
May 31st, 2013. A day many veteran weather-fans are all too familiar with. In addition to the tragic tornado-realted fatalities on that fateful day, several lost their lives to a historic flash flooding event that shook the community. As the tornado moved through El Reno that afternoon, a Guatemalan family of seven sheltered in a drainage ditch outside of their home. The family never got warnings or perceived a risk for a flash flood during the event. All seven members of the family drowned. A later National Weather Service review concluded that a Spanish communication barrier was a factor in the tragedy.
May 22nd, 1987. The rural community of Saragosa Texas is taken by surprise when a violent, F4 twister carved a path of destruction through the town. The community lost 30 residents, 22 of which were lost were in the Saragosa Hall community center where a children’s graduation ceremony had been taking place. The problem? Most of the victims from the predominately Spanish-speaking families never got a warning. Survivors who participated in a post-disaster survey recall not having perceived any threat, or receiving any warning until the last second. Only two respondents had seen a warning on an English-language TV program. The rest reported not having viewed the weather to be visibly threatening or dangerous on that day.
These examples, one which occurred in the last decade, further highlight the linguistic gap and the urgent need to break barriers in weather forecast accessibility.
What Is The Solution?
Now that we’ve dissected the issue at hand, what can we do as individuals and as a community? This issue doesn’t always apply to every community, as many communities are predominately English-speaking. For communities that have a minority population, there are solutions.
In 2023, access to resources within the weather enterprise continues to grow. As of this year, the National Weather Service has begun an experimental service, ‘NWS Translates’ that now includes hazard and product maps in Spanish, Mandarin, Samoan, and Vietnamese. While this service is still in the experimental phase, it’s a step in the right direction.
https://www.weather.gov/translate/
For individuals and families who use English as a second language, check your local resources. In many instances, there are radio and certain television stations within an area that do broadcast in other languages, particularly within Spanish-speaking communities. The importance of finding and utilizing these resources cannot be overstated.
If you are someone who is part of a community that has non-native English speakers but does NOT have any additional resources, consider being an advocate. Whether you make a phone call or send an email to your local representative, local news or weather outlets, or radio stations — appeal to the need for inclusivity. Whether it’s a translation of weather bulletins over radio, or simply a translation of weather graphics — anything helps.
In ConclusionInclusivity promotes community resilience, and we have the power to make that happen. Offering weather forecasts in multiple languages acknowledges and respects the beautiful cultural diversity prevalent in our country’s communities.
Bridging the language gap in weather forecasts isn't just about breaking down linguistic barriers; it's about building stronger, more resilient communities united by the common goal of staying informed and safe in the face of our country’s wildest weather.
