FEMA documents to help Alaska Natives after a recent typhoon were terribly mistranslated, including nonsense phrases like, “Tomorrow he will go hunting very early, and will (bring) nothing' and “Your husband is a polar bear, skinny.'
Residents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading bizarre phrases.
Sweeney called for a congressional oversight hearing to uncover how long and widespread the practice has been used throughout government. “I am confident FEMA will continue to make the necessary changes to be ready the next time they are called to serve our citizens,” the Democrat said. The poorly translated documents, which did not create delays or problems, were a small part of efforts to help people register for FEMA assistance in person, online and by phone, Zidek said.
The book is the written record of field notes collected on Russia’s Chukotka Peninsula across the Bering Strait from Alaska in the 1940s by Ekaterina Rubtsova, who interviewed residents about their daily life and culture for a historical account. Holton, who has about three decades experience in Alaska Native language documentation and revitalization, searched the online archive and found “hit after hit,” words pulled right out of the Russian work and randomly placed into FEMA documents.“They clearly just grabbed the words from the document and then just put them in some random order and gave something that looked like Yup’ik but made no sense,” he said, calling the final product a “word salad.
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FEMA's help for Alaska Natives had mistranslations, nonsenseGovernment officials say documents aimed at helping Alaska Natives apply for aid following typhoon damage last fall featured nonsensical phrases instead of useful instructions
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FEMA's help for Alaska Natives had mistranslations, nonsense“Tomorrow he will go hunting very early, and will (bring) nothing,” read one passage. The translator randomly added the word “Alaska” in the middle of the sentence. “Your husband is a polar bear, skinny,” another said.
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FEMA's help for Alaska Natives had mistranslations, nonsenseGovernment officials say documents aimed at helping Alaska Natives apply for aid following typhoon damage last fall featured nonsensical phrases instead of useful instructions
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FEMA's Help For Alaska Natives Had Mistranslations, NonsenseDocuments aimed at helping Alaska Natives apply for aid following typhoon damage last fall featured nonsensical phrases instead of useful instructions.
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FEMA aid for Alaska Natives after destructive storm came with bizarre mistranslationsResidents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading nonsensical phrases.
Read more »
FEMA’s help for Alaska Natives had mistranslations, nonsenseResidents who opened Federal Emergency Management Agency paperwork expecting to find instructions on how to file for aid in Alaska Native languages like Yup’ik or Inupiaq instead were reading bizarre phrases.
Read more »