FEMA fires group for nonsensical Alaska Native translations

Source: Associated Press

FEMA fires group for nonsensical Alaska Native translations

By MARK THIESSEN
January 13, 2023

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — After tidal surges and high winds from the remnants of a rare typhoon caused extensive damage to homes along Alaska’s western coast in September, the U.S. government stepped in to help residents — largely Alaska Natives — repair property damage.

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.

“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.

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FEMA fired the California company hired to translate the documents once the errors became known, but the incident was an ugly reminder for Alaska Natives of the suppression of their culture and languages from decades past.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/fema-alaskan-native-wrong-translations-707ab611f0d171ae2e34fc3f284454a7