As the extent of the catastrophe unfolds, linguistic needs are coming to the forefront.

Japan is on all of our minds.

One group of professionals not always associated with relief efforts is being recruited to provide help: translators and interpreters.

A news brief from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages explains how language experts could be of great use on site:

“Educators with language skills in the United Kingdom are being recruited to help in the aftermath of Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Speakers of Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Portuguese are being sought -- along with those who can speak and translate Japanese or English -- because of Japan's multinational nature. One Japanese linguistics expert said skilled volunteers could prove more useful than emergency funds in Japan because it is a developed country.”  

(Source: ACTFL Smart Brief, March 15 2011)

The extract summarizes information published in an article from the Liverpool Daily Post just yesterday.

Similar appeals for language help will certainly be going out, or have gone out, to US institutions as well.

Betty Carlson

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• Language Translation, Inc.
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