Let Me Say My Word, Let Me Understand Yours: Language Access and Translation for Socio-Environmental Justice
by Nancy Piñeiro, English-Spanish technical & scientific translator, PhD student of Sociology (SUNY Binghamton); Cofounder, Territorio de Ideas
A few weeks ago I was shocked to hear a Spanish-speaker from a low-income community in southern Texas who lives only a few meters away from two fracking waste pits repeatedly state that they have almost no information about what is going on with the fracking sites nor what these pits hold. All she was certain of was the constant smell of gas and the numerous cases of respiratory diseases and cancers. She emphasized that neither the government nor the companies provided any information to the community. As I was translating her words into English during a phone interview conducted by investigative journalist Justin Nobel, I realized that my shock was due to the connections I was able to make with the lack of access to information in countries like Argentina. In the Argentine Patagonia region, the struggle against hydraulic fracturing currently involves an unprecedented lawsuit against a waste disposal company in the province of Neuquén. According to the province’s chief prosecutor, “the only thing that separates the waste from the population that live just about 500 meters from the plant is a concrete wall that is practically in ruins.” He added, “the number of affected neighbors is beyond calculation.”
We know that communities in the Global South—together with low-income, Latinx, Indigenous and Black communities in the Global North—are the most affected by pollution and the scourge of the climate crisis. But they are also a fundamental part of frontline struggles. The importance of a science that serves people, precisely for those directly affected, and not corporations, cannot be overstated. Almost all of us have ‘limited proficiency’ in the scientific complexities of public and environmental health issues. This is why the work of intra-linguistic translation that organizations like SEHN carry out is crucial to bring science to the public and decision-makers. There is another type of translation, the inter-linguistic, which is also a key aspect of environmental justice.
There is another type of ‘limited proficiency’ that comes into play in many of the communities in the United States that have been mentioned above. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States; therefore, for official purposes, those who do not speak and write it fluently, or do so “less than very well,” are described as having LEP (Limited English Proficiency). The determination and aims of this classification are certainly debatable but discussing them exceeds my purposes here. For our purposes, then, let us see why LEP should be taken into account by everyone involved in socio-environmental justice and health.
According to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), “language barriers and the inability to read or understand health information can pose serious health risks to individuals with Limited English proficiency (LEP). Language is therefore a critical component of any effort to improve communication and access to quality health care for patients, their family members, caregivers, and friends.” Language access, therefore, guarantees that all individuals are free from linguistic obstacles that hinder the exercise of their rights, among others, to a healthy environment.
There are two main instruments in US legislation that establish language access rights. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination based on national origin, and Executive Order 13166 of 2000 outlines additional requirements in this regard, for organizations receiving federal funding. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commits to “providing individuals with LEP meaningful access to EPA’s programs, activities, and services.”
What happens on the ground, however, does not often look as it does on paper. This is why civil society organizations, social movements, and grassroots organizations have been increasingly engaged in language justice. Going beyond language access, this aspect of social justice implies the right of every individual to understand and be understood in their own language (whether this is the one they feel most comfortable in or the one of their choice for a particular purpose). Language justice also means that accommodations will be made as much as possible, for example, by providing sign language interpretation or captioning in the local language.
Now, what happens when we remind ourselves that one of the fundamental aspects of environmental justice is that communities must be able to participate in decisions that will affect their environment? How will highly affected communities, chief among them those made up of Spanish and LEP speakers, participate in a meaningful way without access to information in their own language? Official documents such as environmental impact assessments (where they do exist) and permit documents are long and highly technical. Quality information on environmental issues across a wide variety of topics and genres requires the work of experts who interpret them and help the wider audience understand, and use, them. As we mentioned, the term “translation” is familiar to scientists working precisely on that process. But a second layer is key in such a vast and diverse country like the United States (as it is internationally). The NIH adds that “Context—geographic and cultural, for example—is often the most important component in health communication,” and this is why inter-linguistic translation is so important in environmental health justice.
A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2021 found that “About seven-in-ten Hispanic adults (71%) say climate change is affecting their local community at least some, a higher share than among non-Hispanic adults (54%).” Moreover, “Hispanics (along with other non-White racial and ethnic groups) are disproportionately affected by air pollution, and are less likely to have access to drinking water that meets federal health standards, according to research by public health experts, climate scientists and social scientists.”
A more recent report, published by Flatlandkc.org in May 2024, has revealed the stark health condition of neighbors in Wyandotte County, Kansas, a mostly low-income, Hispanic area: “communities of color and low-income communities in Kansas City face a greater risk of exposure to environmental hazards. But in Wyandotte, the levels of asthma are alarming.” The sources of contamination range from “cumulative exposure to hazardous pollutants from heavy freight and diesel-powered transportation to industrial emissions.”
CleanAirNow, a community-led organization in Kansas, explained that “language barriers have made it difficult for community members to advocate for their needs and provide input; whether it’s accessing interpretation services at government meetings or getting tripped up on the legal language that can be difficult to understand, even in one’s native tongue.” In Wyandotte County, as in many others across the United States, there are high levels of “linguistic isolation.” That is, a significant share of homes where individuals speak English less than “very well.” Among the potential solutions to Wyandotte’s dire environmental record, advocates include “Ensuring meaningful community engagement and input in decision-making processes that affect marginalized neighborhoods.” Of course, this cannot be done without translation. While easy-to-understand and accessible information is the first barrier, across the United States, language is the second.
During the infamous water emergency in Flint, Michigan, “reporters and advocates found that Latinos… were alerted to the water crisis long after other residents and faced prolonged exposure to the effects of the lead-contaminated water. Information did not reach residents because of the lack of Spanish-language resources...” The lack of language access in Flint continues to be an issue to this day.
The Fractracker Alliance has also emphasized that “[barriers to meaningful participation] are exacerbated for non-English speakers, as hearings and notices are often not offered in other languages, even in regions where many of the residents don’t speak English” (see Map below).
Percentage of the population that are linguistically isolated, and points showing oil, gas, and petrochemical plants. Mapped by FracTracker, using 2020 datasets from EIA, HIFLD, and the Environmental Integrity Project ((2021, May 3). Emission Increase Database and Pipelines Inventory. Retrieved from: https://www.fractracker.org/petrochemicals/guide/
While the fight for language justice is strong in the United States, with many grassroots organizations relying on the services of translators and interpreters to ensure we listen to those on the frontlines, there is still much to be done.
When the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment (CRPE) decided to launch their campaign against fracking—in order to build a movement—in Kern County, California, access to information was a key concern. A significant 46 percent of the population in the most fracked county in the state speak a language other than English at home; of them, 35.8 percent speak English less than “very well” and therefore are considered to have LEP. Juan Flores, an organizer with CRPE told me in an interview: “We have a professional translator, may God bless him! He is a professional translator, and started translating many of these materials. It came to a point where we heard of certain news because he would find them and send them to us. And he would say, ‘I find [these materials] because I’m researching, I’m looking for what these terms mean in Spanish.’”
When it comes to technical, scientific, and health-related information, trained translators are a must. Using untrained, ad hoc interpreters and translators might actually lead to more harm than good. Often, a lack of understanding of how translation and interpretation work leads to distrust in the process. However, let us not forget that in our first language we say what we want, and in our learned languages we usually say what we can. This is why it is good for organizations to start working with and building trust with language professionals for support with their materials and events. Asking ‘how do you feel most comfortable? Do you want to speak in your preferred language?’ is a first step.
Another question we should be asking is: if a certain resource was long in the making, if it’s of top quality, why would Spanish speaking communities deserve a second-rate version? Organizations like Right to the City have developed valuable toolkits to orient other groups as to how best to include language justice as an organizing priority. It will not always be possible to accommodate all needs, as small to medium-size organizations often face serious budget challenges, but it certainly begins by seriously considering this aspect of social justice. Many professional translators are also allies and movement participants who put their expertise in the service of the affected communities. For them, and for Translation Studies scholars, this type of participation also implies a serious reflection on the political, social, and environmental implications of their profession and practice.
Efforts such as that of the Observatorio Petrolero Sur (OPSur), an Argentine organization using communication, training, research, and public policy advocacy to articulate and create a social movement around energy as a human right, is a wonderful example of transnational initiatives to bring science to the people. OPSur, together with the Heinrich Böll Foundation – Buenos Aires, have recently commissioned the Spanish translation of selected sections of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure (2023). This will allow communities, journalists, and scientists in Latin America and elsewhere (indeed, the public in the United States too) to gain access to a unique document. (See draft excerpt in Spanish below.)
While there is a huge distance between that person in south Texas and the communities living near fracking waste pits in the south of Argentina, a similar lack of access to translated materials that would enable meaningful participation by everyone affected is a promising site for international solidarity. There is a great deal of translation work that needs to be done in the climate movement.
***
The following is an excerpt of the upcoming Spanish translation of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical, and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking and Associated Gas and Oil Infrastructure (2023). Translated by Laura Beratti, Laura García, and Nancy Piñeiro, members of Territorio de Ideas, for Observatorio Petrolero Sur and Heinrich Böll Foundation – Buenos Aires. As with the original English edition, it is free to use and share.
