Jacques Matensi-Kubanza, chair of the charity, African French Speaking Community Support (AFSCS) has told The London Economic in a recent article online, that the UK government has put the lives of minority groups at risk due to guidance on Covid-19 being translated into a “limited number of languages and had not been properly updated when guidance changed”.
He went on to claim that “people who should be shielding have not done so and died because they could not access information in their language”.
Mr Matensi-Kubanza comments reinforced the views of ‘Doctors of the World’ who recently wrote to the government over their concerns that the government’s translation of coronavirus guidance had ‘blind spots’ which might cause potential health issues.
With almost four and a half million people in the UK stating that English or Welsh is not their main language, and nearly 1 million inhabitants stating they speak little or no English at all, the gaps in translated guidance could prove to be fatal for those with existing health problems who can’t access up-to-date information on the pandemic in their native language.
Mr Matensi-Kubanza said that older people are especially affected by the lack of translated guidance available and that he knows of people who had died due to lack of access to correct information, including one man from Manchester who had underlying health issues.
“Instead of going straight to hospital, he started self-medicating at home until it got worse… by the time he was taken by the ambulance it was too late,” Mr Matensi-Kubanza said.
The African French Speaking Community Support (AFSCS) charity, of which Mr Matensi-Kubanza is chair, operates in the West Midlands. They translate and distribute health information to local residents who may have problems understanding the English-language guidance.
The charity leader said that keeping up with government changes has been problematic for non-English language speakers, including guidance regarding the use of face masks in shops.
The Department of Health, Public Health England, the NHS, and a Government spokesperson responded by stating, “the Government is committed to ensuring people across the UK receive the information they need to stay safe during the pandemic, and we have ensured that the coronavirus public information campaign materials are accessible to a wide audience.
“This includes translating Government advice, guidance, legislation, and the support measures announced into over 25 different languages.”
The government does have information available via the gov.uk website which can also be accessed by local authorities or charities who wish to translate and share the information with their non-English speaking local populace.
Doctors of the World website has current health information translated into 60 different languages available via their website, with videos available in 11 languages including Polish, Portuguese, Bengali, Bulgarian, Romanian, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Kurdish Sorani, English, and Turkish.
The translated information resources from Doctors of the World have been downloaded about 60,000 times to date by organisations such as, police forces and those assisting asylum seekers.
Head of policy and advocacy for the charity Doctors of the World, Anna Miller, said there has been “an absolute lack of communication, or refusal to communicate, from central government, that has meant we’ve had to get on and do (the translations) as if Government doesn’t exist.”
She continued stating, “as lockdown measures are eased and guidance changes regularly, it is not sustainable or practical for local authorities and civil society to meet this need.”
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