[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/it\/article\/modal\/7233\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe dangers of misinformation and neglecting linguistic minorities during a pandemic\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe pandemic has now led to roughly \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.euronews.com\/2020\/04\/02\/coronavirus-in-europe-spain-s-death-toll-hits-10-000-after-record-950-new-deaths-in-24-hou\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ehalf the world\u2019s population\u003C\/a\u003E being ordered by their governments to stay at home. Social media use has jumped. Use of Facebook\u2019s messaging service has increased by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/facebook-warns-that-skyrocketing-usage-wont-lead-to-increased-revenue-11585083493\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Emore than 50% in the hardest hit countries\u003C\/a\u003E. Daily Twitter use is \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-twitter\/twitter-ad-sales-hit-by-coronavirus-but-active-users-soar-idUSKBN21A3HY\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eup 23%\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut all this increased traffic could be harmful. According to a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ica-it.org\/images\/publications\/Combating-misinformation.pdf\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E2018 OECD\u003C\/a\u003E report, wider internet access has exacerbated misinformation. The report found that misinformation devalues expert information and can have a \u2018devastating\u2019 impact on public order as governments struggle to correct rumours.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think one of the problems with social media is that it\u0027s completely uncontrolled during such (a) crisis,\u2019 said Professor Harith Alani of the Knowledge Media Institute at the Open University, UK.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe uncertainty surrounding coronavirus means people can fall victim to misinformation online, he says. \u2018(Misinformation) tends to be built around these gaps in our knowledge or build on certain emotions and fears,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018(People) start to lower the barrier to what they would normally believe in.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESome of the bogus coronavirus stories Prof. Alani has found include fresh garlic being a cure, mosquitos transmitting the disease, the virus dying in temperatures above 25 degrees, or it being a man-made bioweapon.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most people don\u2019t understand that viruses evolve all the time and can spread rapidly the way they are, and prefer an easier explanation, such as that it was manmade,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe warns that not all false information is easily disproven. \u2018The danger is that if people do believe them, then they will probably not take some other precautions that are effective.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResponse\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Alani and his team are collecting false coronavirus stories as part of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/ip_20_386\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u20ac47.5 million emergency call\u003C\/a\u003E by the European Commission to contain the pandemic. The team works on a project called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.hanken.fi\/en\/news\/new-research-project-improve-efficiency-response-corona-virus-outbreak\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EHERoS\u003C\/a\u003E, which is looking at how select cities and countries in Asia and Europe are handling the pandemic\u0026nbsp;when it comes to communicating with the public. The project aims to see how\u0026nbsp;their response to and governance of\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;crisis\u0026nbsp;can be\u0026nbsp;improved.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis team uses automatic algorithms to trawl through coronavirus-related social media content and compare it with trusted, fact-based sources such as the World Health Organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project aims to let policymakers and researchers see faster how misinformation gets shared as the pandemic spreads. It is also looking at how different governments try to tackle coronavirus-related misinformation, such as the UK\u2019s relaunched \u2018\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sharechecklist.gov.uk\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EDon\u2019t Feed the Beast\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E campaign and dedicated \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/government-cracks-down-on-spread-of-false-coronavirus-information-online\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Etask force\u003C\/a\u003E. Dr Alani hopes the project will provide more evidence about such policies\u2019 efficacy in halting misinformation. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe algorithmic tools come from work Prof. Alani is doing as a partner in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/770302\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECo-Inform\u003C\/a\u003E project, and were designed to help citizens, journalists and policymakers combat misinformation. The pandemic, he says, shows the need to boost people\u2019s \u2018information literacy\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project works with fact-checking charities such as the organisation \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/factcheckni.org\/\u0022\u003EFactCheckNI\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in Northern Ireland. Co-Inform\u0027s algorithm can both spot misinformation online and then quickly explain why the information is misleading or wrong.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project has already released an early web app called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/misinfo.me\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EMisinfoMe\u003C\/a\u003E, which lets people search the misinformation that may be linked to a Twitter account. It is also developing a web-browser plugin that will alert people that a site or link comes from an untrustworthy source.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a previous project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/198819\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECOMRADES\u003C\/a\u003E, Prof. Alani\u2019s team also trained algorithms to automatically detect what help people are asking for on social media during crises. A project partner, a team from the University of Sheffield, UK, developed an algorithm to check the veracity of rumours of social media posts during a crisis situation. The algorithms, available on the project \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.comrades-project.eu\/outputs\/services.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E, have attracted requests from multiple aid agencies for customised versions, he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDifferent languages\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough COMRADES\u0027 algorithms are multilingual, such algorithms can be impeded if countries\u2019 official communications neglect residents who speak a non-official language. \u2018What you see during crisis is that the content or the messages (are) coming from people in many different languages even within the same country,\u2019 said Prof. Alani.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESharon O\u2019Brien, a professor of Translation Studies at Dublin City University in Ireland, says that globally, few crisis policies acknowledge that communication needs to be in more than official languages to quickly reach a country\u2019s multicultural, multilingual population.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Timely and accurate communication also means in a language that can be understood by minorities within your country,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe and the team at a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/734211\u0022\u003EINTERACT\u003C\/a\u003E looked at how countries communicate to vulnerable culturally and linguistically diverse communities during times of crisis. These include migrants, refugees, tourists, sign language communities and people on business trips. Her team was consulted by officials in Wuhan in late January to make sure they were following best practice for foreign nationals in the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese practices included recruiting translation students from local universities and liaising with embassies to help with translations. Public information videos were subtitled into multiple languages.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;Timely and accurate communication also means in a language that can be understood by mininorities within your country.\u0026#039;\u0026amp;nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Sharon O\u2019Brien, Dublin City University, Ireland\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn her view, European countries did not translate their medical advice for linguistic minorities early enough. \u2018We could have already started translating the basic \u201chow to avoid (contracting coronavirus)\u201d type of information, and (in Europe) we weren\u0027t doing that.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe significance of official advice can also get lost if translated literally. \u2018With Covid-19 we are starting to hear that\u0026nbsp;\u201csocial distancing\u201d is not a concept that translates easily into other cultures,\u2019 she said, explaining that the anglophone term becomes ambiguous among non-English-speaking cultures that regularly socialise collectively.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf people don\u2019t understand the messaging, says Prof. O\u2019Brien, they are more likely to contract the virus and spread it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInadequate translation puts many within Europe\u0027s multilingual landscape at risk.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn Poland, the government \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/wyborcza.pl\/7,162657,25776782,leczenie-koronawirusa-jest-darmowe-rowniez-dla-cudzoziemcow.html?disableRedirects=tru\u0022\u003Eomitted\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;fact\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;that testing and treatment for coronavirus\u0026nbsp;is also \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/migrant-integration\/news\/polish-doctors-call-on-government-to-better-inform-foreigners-about-free-coronavirus-treatment\u0022\u003Efree for foreigners\u003C\/a\u003E in their translated documents.\u0026nbsp;Doctors in the country are\u0026nbsp;asking the government to publicise this information. A language barrier prevented a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eldiario.es\/madrid\/Denuncian-hombre-muere-casa_0_1013498887.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EBangladeshi man \u003C\/a\u003Efrom receiving help after he called emergency services in Madrid, Spain. He later died at home. In Germany, activists decried the lack of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.dw.com\/de\/taube-menschen-und-corona-ernsthaft-deutschland\/a-52759680\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eofficial information\u003C\/a\u003E in German sign language.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpeed up\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. O\u2019Brien\u2019s project looked at the official emergency response guidelines of Ireland, the UK, the United States, Japan and New Zealand to see what multilingual crisis communication policies served immigrant and refugee communities best. One project aim was to show which policies speed up communication between first responders and those seeking help.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf the five countries researched, Prof. O\u2019Brien said that the United States has developed the most advanced crisis translation policy. The US Department for Homeland Security, which is responsible for disaster relief efforts, has a list of interpreters that can be called on in an emergency. \u2018This was the best practice that we had come across,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn contrast, she says unprepared health services in Europe scramble for interpreters during a crisis. A country\u2019s approach depends on how mature their translation lobbies and rules are.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe gives the example of Ireland, whose lack of translation policy has led to hospitals and lawyers turning to family members, even children, to interpret. This happens ad-hoc and not just in times of crisis, she says. \u2018The situation has, I imagine, become worse now that the (coronavirus) numbers in hospitals are escalating,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEthical problems also arise when untrained people are asked to interpret. \u2018As the person who\u0027s been plucked to come in, it puts massive stress on you,\u2019 said Prof. O\u2019Brien. \u2018You might see things, hear things that you\u0027re not prepared to see and hear.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf O\u2019Brien notes that the deaf communities can be one of the most vulnerable in a crisis, as sign language is often mentioned only in passing in emergency response guidelines. Though she notes the Irish government has a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gov.ie\/en\/publication\/472f64-covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-and-advice\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ecoronavirus interpreting service\u003C\/a\u003E for deaf people.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMachine translation\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMachine translation tools could make a difference, according to Prof. O\u2019Brien, and should be developed for local languages in advance of the next crisis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe project has recently published its own \u2018\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ng1446yNz0E\u0026amp;list=PLg2pAk9z_gypTwz-peEseoui7b7Z0E4jP\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ETranslation 101\u2019\u003C\/a\u003E video guides developed alongside the New Zealand Red Crossaining for any community volunteers on the basics of translation and interacting with machine translation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018These are for organisations who we know are asking people to translate in a crisis, but those people have no training whatsoever,\u2019 said Prof. O\u2019Brien. She hopes that volunteers will subtitle the course content for their own language communities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If we can get to a point where translation is not an afterthought, but is part of the crisis planning and an integrated part of crisis communication policy, I think we\u0027d have made a big step forward.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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