The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now affected nearly every aspect of our lives – work, school, recreation, socialization, and especially healthcare. Information is coming at us fast and furious – almost exclusively in English – leaving many Spanish-dominant Americans in the dark and raising anxiety and fear, as well as causing confusion.
As an English-dominant speaker, imagine seeing this headline:
“IMPORTANTE — Tome estas medidas para monitorear su salud y practique el distanciamiento social”
You might be able to decipher about four or five words – important, monitor, practice, social, maybe distance – but you certainly can’t understand or know how to act on it. Panic begins to set in.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW WITH COVID-19 HEALTHCARE – LACK OF RELIABLE INFORMATION IN SPANISH
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have multiple webpages in English devoted to the Coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease it causes, there are significantly fewer that have been translated into Spanish, and many of those are abbreviated versions of the English pages. Even The President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, jointly produced by the CDC and the White House and released on March 16th wasn’t translated and released in Spanish until three days later on March 20th after congressional and media outcry. For Spanish speakers without access to vital information in their native language from trusted sources, it’s easy to be confused or even skeptical. With over 40 million Americans who speak Spanish in the home, it is crucial – life-or-death level crucial – that our Latino communities get this valuable information as quickly as possible in ways they can understand.
We already know that our Latino communities face a much lower level of access to quality healthcare, particularly for undocumented citizens and low-wage employees.
With the rapidly increasing rates of infection, many Latinos that are still on the job will have to make the difficult decision between continuing to work or staying home to care for sick loved ones. Many others may need to remain at home with their school-age children since most school districts are now closed for the foreseeable future.
The financial burden caused by the Coronavirus will also disproportionately affect Latinos with many working-class families facing layoffs as non-essential businesses are mandated to close by state and federal agencies. And many may simply continue to work unaware of the change of policies, perpetuating the spread of the virus.
HOW HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS CAN HELP OUR LATINO COMMUNITY – NOW
WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION – Provide VITAL DOCUMENTS that have been appropriately translated to your Spanish-speaking employees and contractors, including these:
- New Policies for On-site vs. Remote Work
- Screening and Monitoring Procedures
- What to Do While Awaiting Results or After Being Diagnosed with COVID-19
FOR YOUR CLIENTS/RESIDENTS/MEMBERS — Share IMPORTANT and TIMELY information, including:
- New Hours and Policies for Access to Services
- Changes to Visitation and/or Shelter-in-Place Actions
- Social Media Messaging – Ongoing outreach to provide information and compassion to those feeling isolated and alone
COOL & ASSOCIATES CAN HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION HELP THOSE YOU SERVE
You’re on the front lines and we’ve got your back. Let us provide your translations for important and vital messaging. We have years of experience in the medical field and healthcare industries providing newsletters, manuals, instructional flyers, and social media messaging throughout the Region and the U.S.
Your time and effort are best spent in your area of expertise – providing healthcare services. Our expertise is delivering your Spanish Voice that sounds just like you do in English in addition to being:
- Accurate in Authentic Spanish (NOT machine-translated awkwardness or even mistranslated and confusing)
- Culturally and Regionally Appropriate (Spanish used in the U.S., not Spain – big differences)
- Timely (Expedite Turn-around Available) – Especially important in these daily/hourly changes times
HAVE CONFIDENCE – Our team of native Spanish speakers and bilingual linguistics specialists provide high-quality reviews and alignment to existing verifiable sources, so you never have to wonder about your messaging.
Contact us TODAY to discuss your needs.
We’re ready to help YOU continue your high level of SERVICE to the Latino Community now, when they need it most. Email us at Translations@Coolassociatesllc.com or call (443) 963-9430.
