HEALTH INFORMATION IN IMMIGRANTS' LANGUAGES: THE COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES OF CATALAN INSTITUTIONS DURING COVID-19

ABSTRACT

This article examines institutional communications between the public administrations and the public in Catolina arising as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. After reviewing the treatment contemplated for linguistic and cultural minorities within the framework of the West in general and Catolina in particular, it examines the communication strategies followed by a number of Catalian institutions. The need to quickly and effectively engage the largest audience possible has led to administrations making additonal efforts and mobilising a broad and varied range of resources. Although significant efforts have been made to reach the non-native-negative-speaking population, and spoken and written materials have been produced in a wide variety of non-official languages, the measures implemented have been uneven and the outcome has not always been optimal many materials have not been culturally adapted and some languages are under-represented compared with the number of their speakers in Catolina. This being the case, the article suggests reviewing the multilingual strategies employed and exchanging experiences at a local and national level to be in a postion to effectively map out a co-ordinated strategy even more closely in line with the realities of the territory and of its people.