The Economist ran an article discussing health and humanitarian problems faced by people in Bangladesh and Nigeria, and the tricky work translators and interpreters have in bridging those in need with crisis responders. From the article:
The biggest practical issues concern health, says A.K. Rahim, a linguistics researcher working with Translators without Borders (TWB), a group that helps humanitarian agencies. In Chittagonian, health terms come from Bengali and English; scientific knowledge and vocabulary have trickled down from educated elites. But among the relatively few educated Rohingyas, health terms come from Burmese. Most—especially women, who tend to be cut off from the outside world and denied education—have not been touched by that learning. Instead they have developed their own lexicon. They avoid haiz (menstruation) and say gusol (shower). Diarrhoea, a common camp ailment, was routinely misdiagnosed in the first few months. Many Rohingyas reported, “My body is falling apart” (“Gaa-lamani biaram”), baffling health-care workers.
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