When Words Decide Who Belongs: Language Access in Public Emergencies

Language is more than a medium of exchange; it is a cornerstone of identity, dignity, and belonging. When public information is accessible only to dominant language groups, those excluded are effectively barred from full membership in the political community. In a democracy, this erodes legitimacy, trust, and social cohesion.

Language barriers impede participation in consultations, access to government services, and engagement with democratic processes. If people cannot understand laws, policies, or public health guidance, democracy becomes inaccessible in practice.

Case example: Delayed and uneven multilingual messaging during COVID-19

Early federal and provincial COVID-19 communications were issued primarily in English and French, with translations into other languages arriving late and inconsistently. Research on immigrant and racialized communities in Canada documented lower awareness of testing, confusion about shifting vaccine eligibility, and reduced uptake where language barriers persisted. These communication gaps compounded structural determinants, such as precarious employment and crowded housing, heightening infection risk for linguistically diverse communities.

Ontario analyses found that neighborhoods with higher proportions of immigrants and non‑official language speakers experienced markedly higher infection and mortality. While multiple social determinants contributed, language barriers were a key access factor, delaying testing, hindering understanding of isolation guidance, and suppressing early vaccine uptake. The lack of timely, culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging also undermined informed consent in vaccination settings, particularly for seniors and recent arrivals who depended on community interpreters and informal translation networks.

During the early months of COVID-19, many federal and provincial press briefings did not consistently include on-screen ASL interpretation. In several jurisdictions, interpreters were added only after sustained advocacy, and even then, were hosted on separate streams rather than integrated into live broadcasts; poor technical choices e.g. split screens, small interpreter windows, and cropping, further reduced accessibility. For Deaf individuals whose primary language is ASL, captions alone are not equivalent access: ASL has distinct grammar and syntax, and written English or French does not provide linguistically accessible information. These shortcomings delayed access to critical public health instructions about lockdowns, masking, testing, and vaccine eligibility, and undermined informed consent in vaccination settings.

With respect to these issues, and across Canada, community organizations, settlement agencies, and ethnocultural associations served as “bridge institutions” translating guidance into dozens of languages, hosting multilingual town halls, assisting with online vaccine booking, and contextualizing evolving mandates. Policy reviews and public health evaluations consistently describe these organizations as filling critical gaps left by official communications that did not reflect linguistic diversity.

Policy implications: language access must be embedded in democratic governance and emergency management

Policy recommendations

1. Deliver essential public information in multiple languages, inclusive of ASL and LSQ accessibility visibly embedded in broadcast, with standardized, timely processes across all channels, based on plain language and community review.

2. Integrate language access into all democratic engagement and consultations, including multilingual notices, interpretation at meetings, translated surveys, and accessible feedback mechanisms.

3. Ensure real-time interpretation and translation in health and emergency services, including support for informed consent and follow-up care.

4. Fund and formalize partnerships with community organizations as trusted communication hubs, including resources for translation, outreach, and evaluation.

5. Establish clear accountability with measurable performance standards, public reporting, and independent evaluation of language access in crisis communication.

A democracy that cannot be understood cannot be fully participated in. Belonging begins with being heard—and understood.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?feature=share&list=PLUkFdTHncFR12JzIohlYIM6SIL-BE5wWl

________________________________________

Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2021). Pandemic experience in the long-term care sector. CIHI.

Manson, S. E., et al. (2020–2021). COVID-19 neighbourhood-level analyses. ICES.

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021). From risk to resilience: An equity approach to COVID-19.

Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). (2021). Community responses to COVID-19 in immigrant and refugee communities.