Languages, Cultures, and Health in a Global City Translating and Communicating Covid-19 Among London’s Multilingual Communities

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2                 Research background and underlying theoretical concepts

2.1              Introduction

2.2              Some underlying theoretical concepts

2.2.1           Conceptual maps

2.2.2           Cultural identity

2.2.3           Narratives and cultural translations

2.2.4           Positionality

2.2.5           Syndemics

2.2.6           Stigma

2.3              A note on translation

3                 Languages of London communities of the study

3.1              Introduction

3.2              Language in Algeria (by Aicha Belkadi)

3.3              Somali (by Martin Orwin)

3.4              Swahili (by Lutz Marten)

3.5              Turkish (by Burcin Mustafa)

3.6              Punjabi (by Naresh Sharma)

3.7              Hindi (by Naresh Sharma)

3.8              Sylheti (by Chris Tang and Marie Thaut)

3.9              Indonesian (by Soe Tjen Marching)

3.10            Chinese (by Yan Jiang)

3.11            Korean (by Youkyung Ju-Zaveroni)

3.12            Japanese (by Satona Suzuki and Nana Sato-Rossberg)

3.13            Summary

4                 Historical background of the multilingual communities of the study

4.1              Introduction

4.2              Algeria (by Aicha Belkadi)

4.3              Somali (by Ida Hadjivayanis and Abshir Warsame)

4.4              Swahili (by Ida Hadjivayanis and Abshir Warsame)

4.5              Turkish (by Burcin Mustafa)

4.6              Bengali (by Amy Parsons)

4.7              Hindi (by Jo Hemlatha)

4.8              Punjabi (by Naresh Sharma)

4.9              Sylheti (by Chris Tang and Marie Thaut)

4.10            Indonesian (by Soe Tjen Marching)

4.11            Chinese (by Yan Jiang)

4.12            Korean (by Youkyung Ju-Zaveroni)

4.13            Japanese (by Satona Suzuki)

4.14            Summary

5                 Effects of COVID-19 on London’s multilingual communities: Results from our online survey

5.1              Introduction

5.2              Survey respondents

5.3              Sources of information about COVID-19

5.4              Individual and community responsibilities

5.5              COVID-19 vaccine

5.6              Conclusions

6                 Language, information and COVID-19 among London’s diverse communities: Overview of our interview results

6.1              Introduction

6.2              Background on the interviews

6.3              Choosing different interview methods

6.3.1           Algerian (by Aicha Belkadi)

6.3.2           Bengali (by Amy Parsons)

6.3.3           Chinese (by Yan Jiang)

6.3.4           Korean (by Youkyung Ju-Zaveroni)

6.3.5           Punjabi (by Naresh Sharma)

6.3.6           Somali (by Abshir Warsame and Ida Hadjivayanis)

6.3.7           Swahili (by Ida Hadjivayanis and Abshir Warsame)

6.3.8           Turkish (by Burcin Mustafa)

6.3.9           Summary

6.4              Multilingualism and language use

6.5              Language and information

6.6              COVID-19 vaccination

6.7              Conclusion

7                 Community experiences during the pandemic: Voices from our interviews

7.1              Introduction

7.2              Negative experiences

7.2.1           Illness and death

7.2.2           Mental health

7.2.3           Travel restrictions and confinement to home

7.2.4           Finances and work

7.2.5           Other factors

7.3              Positive experiences

7.3.1           Health

7.3.2           Mental wellbeing and personal growth

7.3.3           Time for hobbies and development

7.3.4           Family

7.3.5           Finances and work

7.4              Other comments

7.4.1           Government policies

7.4.2           Community support

7.4.3           Societal responses

7.4.4           Information and communication

7.5              Summary and conclusions

8                 The COVID-19 vaccine

8.1              Introduction

8.2              Positive and negative views of the vaccine

8.3              Information and trust

8.4              Information in different languages and from different countries

8.5              Conclusion

9                 Reflection and recovery

9.1              Introduction

9.2              Critical reflections on UK government policies

9.3              Recommendations and expectations for future policies

9.3.1           The societal impact of the pandemic

9.3.2           Integration, equality, and minorities

9.3.3           Health care, education and communication

9.4              Support for and within local communities

9.4.1           Support for local communities

9.4.2           Support within local communities

9.5              Communication and language

9.6              The COVID-19 vaccine

9.7              Summary and conclusion

10               Conclusions

References 

Index

Biography

Lutz Marten is Professor of General and African Linguistics at SOAS University of London. His work focuses on the study of language in its structural, historical, and social aspects, with particular reference to the languages and cultures of Eastern and Southern Africa. He has conducted descriptive, theoretical, and comparative studies with respect to different African languages in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, and Zambia. He is currently involved in collaborative research projects on the study of variation in Swahili, on the description and promotion of the Kenyan Bantu language Kitaveta, and on the cultural translation of COVID-19 in London’s community languages. He is a member of the Academia Europaea and currently serves as the president of the Philological Society.

Nana Sato-Rossberg is Professor of Translation Studies. She is a leading scholar in the field, with expertise in Japan and East Asia. She is currently Chair of the Centre for Translation Studies of SOAS. She is also an Executive Council member of the International Association of Translation and Intercultural Studies and the co-founder of the East Asian Translation Studies conference series (since 2014). She is the author of two monographs and five co-edited books in relation to Japan and East Asian Translation Studies. She has worked extensively on Japanese ethnic minority community and the translation of their cultures. She was Principal Investigator of the UKRI/AHRC-funded COVID-19 project Cultural Translation and Interpreting of COVID-19 Risks among London’s Migrant Communities.