Spanish-speaking Community Research Articles

Spanish Speakers in the United States Report Differing Levels of Weather Salience Based on Their Ethnocultural Background

Abstract Weather profoundly shapes our daily lives, yet its psychological impact varies distinctly among different cultural and ethnic groups. In a comprehensive analysis of 974 Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States, our research delves into three dimensions of weather salience—a measure of the psychological importance attributed to weather. Contrary to expectations, geographic location within the United States does not significantly influence weather salience dimensions among Spanish-speaking populations. Rather, differences in weather salience emerge based on the nativity and origin country of a Spanish speaker. Foreign-born Spanish speakers exhibit higher weather salience compared to their U.S.-born counterparts, with notable differences in daily attention to weather and severe weather events. Additionally, the degree of psychological attunement to weather distinctly varies among different Hispanic and Latino ethnic groups within Spanish-speaking communities. These findings help explain why weather salience may be lower among Spanish-speaking groups and highlight the variability across different cultural groups. Tailoring messages to the unique experiences and backgrounds of diverse Spanish-speaking communities is essential, moving beyond simple language translation to embrace the rich cultural tapestry of these groups. Significance Statement Our research explored how different Spanish-speaking groups in the United States conceptualize weather in their daily lives. Surprisingly, where they live in the United States does not change their views much. Instead, whether they were born in the United States or elsewhere, and their specific cultural background, really matters. People born outside the United States generally apply more significance to the weather and its changes. This shows us that when communicating about weather to these groups, it is important to understand and respect the diverse cultures of Spanish-speaking communities, going beyond just translating messages into Spanish.

Conoce Tus Opciones: The Challenges of Communicating Rip Current Information in Spanish

Abstract Rip currents are poorly understood by the public and thus a leading cause of weather-related fatalities in the United States. Individuals who speak languages other than English, such as Spanish-speaking communities, have been historically underserved by communication efforts for natural hazards and thus are at additional risk from rip currents. In response, the National Weather Service (NWS) has developed rip current outreach tools translated into Spanish in recent years, though their efficacy has not been systematically tested. We therefore surveyed members of the Spanish-speaking community in the New York City area to gain insights into how the NWS two-page rip current informational brochure is working and possible improvements to be made. The English version of the brochure was also tested, and the results from the two languages were compared. Quantitative survey results indicate that while both brochures are generally effective, several changes could be made to improve clarity, especially for Spanish speakers, who found more issues with the Spanish version. For example, the translation of the term rip current itself used by the NWS, “corrientes de resaca,” was determined to be confusing by some Spanish speakers, as were other pieces of text with complex scientific terms. Moreover, certain graphics contained in the brochure were difficult to understand for users in both languages. The results of this work can be used by the NWS and other agencies to improve their Spanish risk communication tools and can also be used as a guide when translating scientific information into other languages. Significance Statement Rip currents, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can pull swimmers away from the shore, are among the leading weather-related killers in the United States yet are poorly understood by the public. Recent efforts to reduce society’s vulnerability to rip currents include the translation of outreach materials from English to Spanish. This study evaluated a new National Weather Service Spanish rip current informational brochure and compared it to the English version. The results show that while both the English and Spanish brochures were generally effective at communicating risk, the Spanish version had more issues, primarily surrounding the translation of scientific terms and phrases. Findings from this research can help guide scientists in designing improved non-English severe weather outreach products.

The Power of Cultural Validation: A Global Strategy for Combating Infectious Diseases

Cultural Validation is a technique that works to increase access and break down barriers for what many policymakers and public health officials identify as “hard to reach populations.” During the COVID-19 Pandemic, policymakers and public health officials often cited “vaccine hesitancy” as a key challenge to reaching vulnerable populations, including immigrants, Spanish-speaking communities, and others who have been marginalized. Yet, community-based programs utilizing “Cultural Validation” techniques demonstrated that barriers to access – not hesitancy – were the true culprits. In fact, public health partnerships, laws, policies and funding that support the full integration of Cultural Validation techniques can ensure vaccine equity across the board. Cultural Validation can be applied to any community, and its success is made possible by four 4 key factors: • Researching and getting to know people in the community through genuine and authentic relationship-building prior to engagements. • Developing culturally relevant materials and marketing strategies. • Hosting events at places that are familiar to the community. • Providing genuine, authentic care in service delivery

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the media health literacy questionnaire (MeHLit-SV).

Media health literacy emerges as a response to the vast array of informational disorders prevalent in media communications. Given the absence of a measurement tool for this type of literacy in Spanish-speaking communities, the aim of the present study is to conduct a cross-cultural adaptation of the Media Health Literacy (MeHLit) questionnaire into Spanish and to analyze its psychometric properties in a sample of nursing students. The Spanish version of the MeHLit questionnaire (MeHLit-SV) was obtained through a process involving translation, back-translation, evaluation of the proposed items by a group of 22 experts, and a pilot study with 80 Spanish nursing students. Content validity was assessed using each item's content validity index (CVI) and Aiken's V (VdA), while internal consistency was evaluated through Cronbach's Alpha. Following the translation and adaptation process, the final version of the MeHLit-SV comprised 21 items organized into five dimensions. The CVI values exceeded 0.82 for all items, and the overall content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.9. Furthermore, the results of Aiken's V surpassed the threshold considered acceptable (0.70). After piloting, the questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.936. The findings of this research support the reliability and validity of the MeHLit-SV for use among nursing students to measure their level of media health literacy. This questionnaire, with satisfactory psychometric properties and ease of administration, is an useful tool for assessing whether individuals possess the necessary skills to accurately analyze health information they encounter on a daily basis.

Abstract B155: “Quite devastating, traumatic and lonely”: The mental health experiences of Hispanic/Latino rectal cancer patients

Abstract Background: Numerous studies have shown that emotional distress increases after a cancer diagnosis. Psycho-oncology literature also indicates that Hispanic/Latino patients are less likely to receive mental health care after being diagnosed, placing them at risk of poor psychological adjustment. The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to explore how Hispanic/Latino adults experience their rectal cancer journey, how their needs change between receiving their initial diagnosis and undergoing treatment, and what can be done to help process difficult emotions at each phase. Methods: We partnered with Visión y Compromiso, a network of promotores (Spanish-speaking community health workers), to recruit 20 Hispanic/Latino rectal cancer patients and/or their caregivers in California's Bay Area and Central Valley. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in-person or virtually; participants could also choose their preferred language. Using reflexive data analysis, themes were developed and refined iteratively amongst a diverse team of researchers. Results: We identified three main themes. The first is the reactions experienced during initial diagnosis and what triggered these emotions. Patients reported experiencing fear, going blank, and feeling traumatized from the hurried and emotionally distant delivery of their diagnosis, thinking they’re going to die, and contemplating their quality of life. The second theme focused on what emotions were felt during treatment and what caused the feelings. Patients conveyed feeling depressed, frustrated, and embarrassed during their treatment due to pain, treatment difficulties, and poor communication from their providers. Treatment difficulties for this population included being racially profiled, fear of losing insurance coverage, and mounting hospital and transportation costs. Lastly, patients reported what helped them cope and/or what could help others. Religion/faith and support from caregivers were mentioned as coping strategies with the caveat that caregiver burnout is a risk. Better communication from the treatment team was an actionable recommendation. Examples of this included providers being more sensitive when conveying the initial diagnosis, providers explaining complex concepts in layman’s terms during the treatment process and having a Spanish translator available at each phase. Conclusion: Hispanic/Latino rectal cancer patients endure emotional distress at multiple stages of their cancer journey; tailored interventions may mitigate this psychological burden. Previous studies have shown that promotores can help reduce health disparities within the Hispanic/Latino population. In the context of our results, promotores could connect cancer patients to resources to address or cope with stressors, which may help bridge the gap in mental health care access and utilization. Future interventions with promotores should be explored as a way to provide culturally and linguistically concordant emotional support for patients and their caregivers at each step of the cancer journey. Citation Format: Zaria N. Cosby, Eleanor Brown, Julian P. Howland, Lucas K. Carpenter, Min Young Kim, Kristen M. Davis-Lopez, Patricia Castañeda, Maria Gonzalez, Miriam T. Hernandez, Ysabel Duron, Gladys M. Rodriguez, Sandra S. Zaky, Arden M. Morris, Aaron J. Dawes. “Quite devastating, traumatic and lonely”: The mental health experiences of Hispanic/Latino rectal cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B155.

Pronominal address in the linguistic landscape of Hispanic Philadelphia

Abstract This study explores pronominal address forms in the linguistic landscape of Hispanic Philadelphia, examining how Spanish-speaking communities use second-person singular pronouns (tú, usted, vos) in public signage. The research objectives were to identify which pronouns of address are employed and determine the variables influencing their usage. A corpus of 250 signs was analyzed across three Hispanic neighborhoods and virtual spaces, considering variables such as location, authorship, language composition, and speech act. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were used to assess the impact of these variables on pronoun choice. The findings reveal that only “tú” and “usted” are present in the linguistic landscape, with “tú” being slightly more prevalent (55.2%). Language composition (p = 0.035) and speech act (p < 0.001) significantly influence pronoun selection, while location and authorship do not. Bilingual signs tend to favor “usted”, whereas monolingual signs prefer “tú”. Regarding speech acts, requests are more likely to use “usted”, while invitations and persuasive messages favor “tú”. The study concludes that while there is no evidence of a new speech community emerging, there is a convergence in pronominal use across diverse Hispanic neighborhoods, suggesting linguistic accommodation in written language. These findings contribute to our understanding of pronominal treatment in diasporic contexts and highlight the complexity of address forms in Spanish.

Repeat wildfire and smoke experiences shared by four communities in Southern California: local impacts and community needs

Abstract Families in unincorporated communities in Southern California’s Eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) increasingly experience the burden of repeat wildfires and smoke. This study describes their lived wildfire and smoke experiences, health impacts, unique community-level inequities that compound wildfire risk and air quality effects, communication preferences, and resource needs for future wildfire preparedness. A wildfire community vulnerability framework informed the focus group discussion guide, exploring individual, community, and local government level factors that potentially influence community response and mitigation behaviors to repeat wildfire and smoke. Ten focus groups with 118 participants occurred in spring 2023 with four communities in ECV, California. Findings center on narratives of acute wildfire-related experiences, including evacuation and burned trailer homes, acute and chronic self report physical and mental health impacts of wildfires and smoke, daily life disruptions, staying indoors for protection, and local interactions described as a community strength in responding to fires. Participants from unincorporated, low-income, and monolingual Spanish-speaking communities predominantly consisting of farm workers requested greater emergency preparedness and response information, training and education in Spanish, postfire resources, lower trash service fees, increased enforcement of illegal dumping and burning, and use of multimodal and bilingual communication channels for wildfire, smoke, and wind alerts.

The Evolving Landscape of Spanish Language Representation in U.S. Media: From Overt to Covert Discrimination

Despite the continuously expanding presence of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, media representation of the Spanish language and that of its speakers has remained relatively scarce. At present, however, a growing interest in reaching and cashing in on this influential consumer group is forcing significant changes in the mass media communication landscape. Not only are an increasing number of movies and TV shows working with more diverse casts (ethnically, culturally, linguistically, etc.), but there also seems to be a heightened presence of Latinx characters in leading or supporting roles. This tendency, however, does not necessarily mean that mainstream media is becoming more inclusive and less anglocentric. In fact, a careful look at the storylines of individuals who are perceived to be Spanish speakers will reveal that they mostly portray stereotypical roles and behaviors. When their stories are told, they are all too often infused with unwarranted messages that portray Latinxs as lazy, unskilled, unintelligible in speech, hypersexual, or simply too ‘foreign’ to fit in. Whether overtly or covertly expressed, the negative impact of these persistent transgressions has the potential to shape real-world ideologies, attitudes, and prejudices. This paper adopts a critical raciolinguistic perspective, which underscores the co-naturalization of language and race, to highlight the role of media in reinforcing discrimination against the Spanish language and its speakers. In our analysis of six recently popularized TV shows (i.e., East Los High, Family Guy, Gentefied, Jane the Virgin, One Day at a Time, and That ‘70s Show), we examine the perpetuation of racialized stereotypes toward Latinx characters’ linguistic practices with regard to (i) the environment in which they exist, (ii) their mannerisms, (iii) speech patterns, and (iv) interactions with other characters. We demonstrate how these shows’ blending of seemingly harmless linguistic ideologies with stereotypical and sensationalized representations grounded in colonial hierarchies reproduces hegemonic interests, perpetuates social inequalities, and places racialized Spanish speakers at a disadvantage.

Teaching Afro-Hispanic Literature in the Undergraduate Introductory Literature Course: A Pedagogy for Antiracist Teaching

Abstract: This essay posits that an institution's program design mandates the curriculum for the classes we teach and that curriculum affects the concept of "canonical" literature, teacher preparation, textbook content, and comfort with discussing difference in the second language classroom for undergraduates. For that reason, this essay argues for the need for intentional curricular design that incorporates the ethnic diversity of Spanish-speaking communities at all levels of undergraduate Spanishlanguage instruction and proposes that literature written by Spanish-speaking writers of African descent should always be an integral part of the introductory literature course. In this course, literature is examined as an expression of culture and used as a tool for the development of both critical thinking skills and intercultural competence. While inclusive teaching methodologies are inherently universal and have application in teaching literature in any language, what follows describes an approach to teaching Afro-Hispanic literature in undergraduate Spanish classes that ensures the development of intercultural competence, endorses a pedagogy with a foundation in antiracist philosophy, and is rooted in inclusive and equitable teaching practices that is both deliberate and student-centered.

Reliability and validity of the Spanish adaptation of the Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium in 2 clinical Spanish-speaking communities

Reliability and validity of the Spanish adaptation of the Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium in 2 clinical Spanish-speaking communities

A Co-Created Tool to Help Counter Health Misinformation for Spanish-Speaking Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Health misinformation, which was particularly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, hampers public health initiatives. Spanish-speaking communities in the San Francisco Bay Area may be especially affected due to low digital health literacy and skepticism towards science and healthcare experts. Our study aims to develop a checklist to counter misinformation, grounded in community insights. We adopted a multistage approach to understanding barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Spanish-speaking populations in Alameda and San Francisco counties. Initial work included key informant and community interviews. Partnering with a community-based organization (CBO), we organized co-design workshops in July 2022 to develop a practical tool for identifying misinformation. Template analysis identified key themes for actionable steps, such as source evaluation and content assessment. From this, we developed a Spanish-language checklist. During formative interviews, misinformation was identified as a major obstacle to vaccine uptake. Three co-design workshops with 15 Spanish-speaking women resulted in a 10-step checklist for tackling health misinformation. Participants highlighted the need for scrutinizing sources and assessing messenger credibility, and cues in visual content that could instill fear. The checklist offers a pragmatic approach to source verification and information assessment, supplemented by resources from local CBOs. We have co-created a targeted checklist for Spanish-speaking communities to identify and counter health misinformation. Such specialized tools are essential for populations that are more susceptible to misinformation, enabling them to differentiate between credible and non-credible information.

Bibliotequitas para Tualatin

The City of Tualatin is home to around 5,000 individuals who identify as Hispanic or Latino (US Census Bureau, 2020). Uniquely, many of the Spanish speakers who immigrated to Tualatin are from Guerrero. Guerrero is located in the southwest region of the Mexican west coast, sandwiched between the Mexican states of Jalisco and Oaxaca. Although many Mexican immigrants in Tualatin are from this particular region, we have a growing community from all over Central America and South America. This shift in immigration shows us the increasing need to provide relevant Spanish-language programs and materials for our community. Tualatin Public Library decided to address this need by creating Little Free Libraries or "bibliotequitas" for underserved, Spanish-speaking communities in the area.

Unequal loss: Disparities in relational closeness to a COVID-19 death among U.S. older adults.

COVID-19 mortality occurred unevenly across U.S. demographic subgroups, leaving some communities harder hit than others. Black and Hispanic/Latino older adults are among those disproportionately affected by COVID-19 mortality, and in turn, COVID-19 bereavement. Because disparities in COVID-19 mortality may extend to COVID-19 bereavement, it is important to understand the incidence of COVID-19 bereavement among older adults at various degrees of relational closeness (e.g., spouse vs. household member vs. friend). We used the National Social Health and Aging Project (NSHAP) COVID Study to evaluate disparities in loss of a social network member to COVID-19 among U.S. older adults by race/ethnicity, language, and relational closeness. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the likelihood of experiencing a COVID-19 death in one's social network. None of the English-speaking, non-Hispanic White respondents reported the loss of a household member or spouse to COVID-19. English-speaking, non-Hispanic Black and English-speaking, Hispanic older adults were overrepresented in reporting a death at every degree of relational closeness. However, close COVID-19 bereavement was most prevalent among Spanish-speaking older adults of any race. Although Spanish speakers comprised only 4.8% of the sample, half of the respondents who lost a spouse to COVID-19 were Spanish speakers. Language and ethnoracial group disparities persisted after controlling for age, sex, marital status, and education. Known ethnoracial disparities in COVID-19 mortality extend to COVID-19 bereavement among older adults. Because bereavement impacts health, Black, Latino, and Spanish-speaking communities need greater protection and investment to prevent disparities in bereavement from exacerbating disparities in later-life mental and physical health.

The boundary-crossing constraint revisited: movement verbs across varieties of Spanish

Abstract Talmy divided the world’s languages according to how they express movement. Spanish, a verb-framed language, purportedly constrains the use of motion verbs expressing the manner of movement (such as roll) to contexts in which no spatial boundary is crossed. Previous research suggests that this constraint sometimes does not apply. We report the first large-scale investigation of the constraint and its modulating factors (movement direction, verb type, entering/exiting, Ground size, the preposition used) across different Spanish-speaking communities. A task with open-ended description of animated videos, a sentence interpretation task, and a rating task found that Spanish and Latin American speakers (n = 180 in total) often use manner verbs to describe boundary-crossing situations (especially entering a place), although this is modulated by the preposition following the verb (more with a than en). Better understanding of this constraint in verb-framed languages has applications in, for instance, L2 acquisition research.

Increasing Accessibility to Neuroscience through Translation: Going beyond the English Language.

Declaring the 1990s as The Decade of the Brain put the field of neuroscience at the forefront of public attention, with the nervous system becoming a subject of increasing interest in popular media. Although this has generally brought large swaths of the public closer to neuroscience, most current research is published and disseminated in a single language: English. This is unsurprising as English is indeed the lingua franca in scientific circles, but people around the world communicate in many other languages. To make neuroscience accessible to a larger audience, we share an initiative to translate the Knowing Neurons platform into a second language: Spanish. This collaborative project integrates humanities and STEM academic programs to make use of bilingual university students, in association with professional linguists and neuroscientists, to translate scientific content into a relatable format to Spanish speakers regardless of their country of origin. The translation effort was piloted within the framework of undergraduate outreach courses at the University of California, Los Angeles, and is coupled with outreach components targeting the Spanish-speaking community to promote this new resource. This project aims to foster an environment where the neuroscientific interests of the public, college students, instructors, and researchers coalesce in a unified space. We hope that opening new lines of communication with traditionally underrepresented communities might help combat the persistent lack of diversity in neuroscience (and STEM) that is currently seen in academia. We also provide an outline to inspire others to translate these, and similar resources, into other languages.

Enriching Spanish-Speaking English Learners’ Experiences in the English Music Classroom

According to the National Education Association, one out of every four children in the U.S. public education system will be an English Learner (EL) by 2025, with at least half of these students likely being Spanish-speaking EL students. As school populations become more ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse, current and future music teachers must increase awareness of the barriers that the growing population of Spanish-speaking EL students may encounter. In this article, the author describes the language acquisition stages that Spanish-speaking EL students typically go through, providing insights into possible strategies for addressing their language barriers and socio-emotional needs, as well as fostering a culturally responsive and sustainable environment in the music classroom. In doing so, the author describes several concrete methods that music educators could use to engage with and learn more about the rich Spanish-speaking communities. Thus, becoming more responsive to the current demographic changes and challenges.

Pandemic retelling: What GoFundMe posts reveal about the socioeconomic context of COVID-19 death and bereavement among Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities in the United States

COVID-19 has had an outsized impact on Latinx communities in the United States, turning thousands of individuals into newly bereaved survivors. Despite an eagerness among scholars to document social inequities in COVID-19, data limitations prevent a deeper understanding of the socioeconomic context of COVID-19 death. This study explores the social relationships, economic factors, and emotional experiences that surround COVID-19 deaths among the members of Spanish-speaking Latinx communities in the United States, as retold in user-written posts on the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform. GoFundMe posts for funeral and related expenses in the aftermath of a COVID-19 death are an unexplored source of information about the impacts of COVID-19 mortality inequities on the health and well-being of bereaved individuals. First, we used computational query methods to systematically identify a sample of Spanish-language/bilingual GoFundMe posts from U.S. locations referencing the death of someone due to COVID-19. After excluding posts that did not meet search criteria, we used deductive and inductive coding to analyze a corpus of selected posts (n = 68). We found that a more complete story about the social context of COVID-19 deaths in Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities includes a focus on family roles and responsibilities, compounded financial hardship, risk of complicated grief, religiosity, and unexpected death. Our exploratory study highlights the need for further research into the contextualized health and well-being impacts of COVID-19 bereavement for structurally marginalized communities.

Reliability and Validity of the Spanish Adaptation of the Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium in Two Clinical Spanish-Speaking Communities

Delirium is the most prevalent neuropsychiatric syndrome experienced by patients admitted to inpatient clinical units, occurring in at least 20% of medically hospitalized patients and up to 85% of those admitted to critical care units. Although current guidelines recommend the implementation of universal prevention strategies, the use of management strategies largely depends on constant surveillance and screening. This allows for the timely diagnosis and correction of its underlying causes and implementation of management strategies. It was to adapt and analyze the Spanish adaptation of the Stanford Proxy Test for Delirium (S-PTDsv) instrument for its use among Spanish-speaking populations. The S-PTD is an instrument consisting of 13 observational items to be completed by a clinician observer, usually the patient's nurse. The completion of the questionnaire takes about 1 minute and does not require the active participation of the person evaluated, which has important clinical advantages compared to other available instruments (e.g., the Confusion Assessment Method). The psychometric properties of the S-PTDsv were evaluated in a population of 123 patients using a quantitative, cross-sectional design. All subjects were over 18 years of age and hospitalized in various inpatient medico-surgical and intensive care unit services, either at the Barcelona Clinical Hospital (Barcelona, Spain) or the UC-Christus Health Network Clinical Hospital (Santiago, Chile, S.A.). The ultimate diagnosis of delirium was made by a member of the Psychiatry Consult Service by means of an independent neuropsychiatric evaluation based on the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria, published in 2013, which is the latest version of the diagnostic manual. All study tests were performed by study personnel who were blinded to each other's test results within an hour of each other. In the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the S-PTDsv demonstrated excellent classification qualities when compared with the DSM-5 as the classification reference standard. Using a cutoff point of ≥3, the S-PTDsv had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 97%. The area under the curve indicator was equal to 0.95, suggesting the S-PTDsv has an excellent overall performance in accurately identifying cases of delirium. Accordingly, the S-PTDsv's positive predictive value=0.93, and the negative predictive value=0.97. The internal reliability measured with Cronbach's alpha was 0.96. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 1-dimensional structure with high loadings (>0.72), demonstrating that all items similarly contribute to the total diagnostic dimension, suggesting adequate construct validity. This provided evidence of convergent validity. The performance of the S-PTDsv, as compared to a blinded neuropsychiatric assessment based on DSM-5, indicates that it is an effective instrument for the detection of delirium, in the Spanish-speaking populations. These results are comparable and consistent with previously published studies in the English language version.

Fan indirect subtitling of Cdramas by women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract Despite its controversial status, indirect translation remains one of the most prevalent translation methods and efforts have been made to explore the positive effects of this practice. The present article aims to contribute to such endeavours by researching the potential of indirect fansubbing for the promotion of several key areas of the United Nations’ Fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The article reports on a fansubbing community consisting of Chinese to Spanish amateur subtitlers who have mobilised indirect translation to attain linguistic proficiency, translational skills and cultural literacy. Results from fieldwork and qualitative data show that indirect subtitles might enhance Spanish-speaking communities’ appreciation of foreign languages and cultures by providing access to otherwise inaccessible audiovisual products. The present research finds potential for indirect fansubbing as an autodidactic method capable of promoting a culture of lifelong learning, global citizenship, and the appreciation of cultural diversity, factors conducive to the fourth SDG.

Ciencia, Genética, y ¿Desinformación?: A content analysis of genetic testing coverage from US Spanish-language news media.

Genetic testing (GT) has become ubiquitous in the United States, either in clinical or direct-to-consumer markets. White and English-speaking populations have primarily benefited from this new technology, leaving other groups, like Hispanic populations, behind. Explanations for this disparity has cited a lack of awareness and knowledge of genetic testing purposes. Science communication from English-language media play an important role in setting initial attitudes and influencing decision-making for audiences. However, Spanish-language media have virtually no research published on documented potential effects for GT utilization despite the continued growth of Hispanic Spanish-speaking groups in the United States. Thus, this study characterized coverage of GT from two of the most prominent US Spanish-language media outlets, Telemundo and Univision. Over a 12-year time period, we identified 235 written articles of GT, mainly focusing on forensics applications, followed by gossip and health. There were 292 sources referenced across all 235 articles drawing from governmental agencies or officials, other news agencies, and medical institutions or officials. The findings suggest that coverage of GT among Spanish-language news outlets is limited. When Spanish-language news outlets do cover GT, they focus on aspects of intrigue or entertainment more than demystifying and explaining GT. Stories tend to cite other published articles, with author attribution often missing, leading to questions of comfort of Spanish-media to cover these topics. Further, the publishing process may lead to confusion of the purpose of genetic testing for health purposes and may bias Spanish-speaking groups towards genetic testing for health purposes. Thus, reconciliation and education initiatives around genetic testing purposes are needed for Spanish-speaking communities from not only media, but also genetics providers and institutions.