Translation in the time of COVID-19

The year 2020 witnessed the outbreak of COVID-19, a new coronavirus that swept the whole world and triggered upheavals in all human societies, with countries forced to lock down and citizens quarantined to control the spread of the disease. As a result of isolation, the normal function of society was severely affected, especially in the early stage of the pandemic when almost everything about the virus was unknown. On such occasions when lockdowns and isolation cause confusion, increase contradiction and even exacerbate harm, communication always stands out to lessen uncertainty, respond to, and resolve the situation.

The basic function of translation is, undoubtedly, communication. As a bridge of communication, the power of translation during the pandemic was beyond imagination. Facing the precipitate pandemic, the dissemination of pandemic-related information to the whole world ranked as the top priority. Various forms of cooperation emerged in anti-Covid-19 translation, as indispensable means to publicize news and knowledge about the disease. Chinese translators, in cooperation with pandemic professionals, have translated valuable materials about the pandemic into major foreign languages as soon as possible and publicized them to the outside world, sharing China’s knowledge of the disease and reminding other countries to take preventative measures.

To obtain global assistance, translation among cooperative forces also played a significant role in contacting donors of medical supplies and working on cross-border procurement. What is particularly worth mentioning was the practice of amateur translators and volunteers in this project. Some of them were students in translation studies or medicine, some employees of medical industry, and some foreign volunteers who spoke Chinese or even lived there. A translation group called China–Iran Anti-COVID-19 Mutual Assistance Group is a good example. With its members from different countries and regions including China, Iran and Germany, this group translated a series of anti-epidemic guidelines into Persian and even made an effort to connect medical workers in China and Iran. After collecting Iranian doctors’ questions in Trita, an application in Iran, this group translated them into Chinese and asked Chinese doctors for answers. Next, they translated these answers back into Persian and English to ensure the accuracy of translation and finally replied to Iranian doctors on the App. This translation group has effectively strengthened Iranian citizens’ consciousness of COVID-19 prevention and provided valuable reference to Iranian doctors.

Translation in crisis communication was facilitated by the cooperation of volunteer groups as well. Due to the lack of translators, the authoritative translation of COVID-19-related messages into minority languages could not be achieved as easily and promptly as that into major languages. It is the voluntary translation groups that contributed a lot in meeting the needs of language minorities. Their cooperative effort is essential in ensuring global access to the frequently updated information, data and knowledge to control the spread of virus.

Cooperative translation, especially among patients, interpreters and medical staff, is also significant in facilitating the process of treatment and promoting treatment outcome. Existing research has established that language barriers can be a threat to patient safety and professional translators are able to reduce medical risks and promote the relationship between doctors and patients (Wilson 2013, 252–253), which is well illustrated in the treatment of a Korean patient in a Chinese hospital when the patient, without a good command of Chinese, was reluctant to accept treatment and refused to communicate because of apprehension; however, with the help of an interpreter comforting him in his own language, the patient was gradually appeased and the procedure of medical treatment became successful (Guo et al. 2020, 19–20). Therefore, it is safe to say that, in a health crisis like COVID-19, translational cooperation achieved between the interpreters and doctors is far beyond mere communication; to a degree, it equals psychological relief by removing language barriers for patients.

Despite its diverse functions in the global anti-pandemic effort, translation in cross-border or cross-discipline cooperation also faced a lot of challenges such as time limits, lack of background knowledge and specialized translators, and unavailability of face-to-face communication. Fortunately, cooperation, particularly between translators and modern technology, made things much easier. First of all, advanced technology made online translation teaching and remote interpretation possible, maintaining the normal performance when translators’ and students’ health condition was safeguarded. Secondly, machine translation contributed a great deal in such a crisis to speeding up the spread of information, promoting good practice for symptom identification, prevention, and treatment. As Lewis et al. stated, “MT is an important technology in crisis events, something that can and should be an integral part of a rapid-response infrastructure … If done right, MT can dramatically increase the speed by which relief can be provided” (Lewis et al. 2011, 501). Thirdly, multimodal translation also showed its importance for communication during the pandemic. In crisis communication, messages are more effective if they match the audience’s needs, values, background, culture and experience (Reynolds and Seeger 2005). Thus, translation in such an emergency must consider the varied needs of audiences, particularly the undereducated, language minorities, and the hearing impaired. In this way, multimodal translation is able to satisfy the needs of different groups effectively by providing translated information through words, pictures, audios, videos and other available modes.

For instance, considering the needs of people living abroad without a good command of the local languages, Chinese government has created a tool called Foreign Languages Translation Toolkit for Anti-COVID-19 with content aimed at users with different needs, especially those whose language competence is unable to support them in seeing a doctor. This tool covers information including entry and exit notes, Anti-COVID-19 instructions and more importantly, terms of diagnosis and treatment in text, audio and video formats and can be used in smart devices conveniently. Such appliance of multimodal translation has won praises from both the government and its users for the convenience and efficiency it provides in communication.

In a nutshell, COVID-19 was a test of the function of translation as well as a challenge to it, exposing its deficiencies and showing us the way forward. Translation in diverse forms of cooperation, between pandemic scholars and translators, professional translators and amateur translators, translators/interpreters and medical staff, and translators and modern technology, has proved its effectiveness, promptness, wide access, and capacity for mind relaxing. What is more, translation must take advantage of modern technology to ensure its vitality in the future. Translational applications in mobile devices, multimodal translation, and online translation are sure to create a potential in a time of health crisis. However, translation in global public health crisis still awaits improvements. Crisis translation projects must be taken into governments’ consideration, translation of minority languages should be promoted and the training of translators with cross-discipline knowledge or in specific areas like medicine and pharmacy need to be prioritized. Let us hope that, even when the pandemic ends, translational cooperation, if properly organized, will remain advantageous and do more good than harm to our global community.