Oregon Capital Chronicle adds Spanish-language articles with ‘Noticias en Español' feature

Yahoo

2 days ago

Cherry blossoms frame the Oregon capitol. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Para leer esta historia en español, haga clic aquí.
The Capital Chronicle is launching a new feature this week: Noticias en Español, or Spanish translations of selected articles.
It's all thanks to reporter Mia Maldonado, a fluent Spanish speaker who for the past three years has translated stories she and colleagues wrote for the Idaho Capital Sun as part of its Sol-Capital Idaho section. Maldonado holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international political economy and was recognized for her Spanish-language translations by the Idaho Press Club last year.
Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Oregon after English, with more than 360,000 of Oregon's more than 4 million residents reporting they spoke Spanish at home on the most recent American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 150,000 Spanish-speaking households in Oregon reported speaking English less than very well.
And with immigration stories at the forefront of local and national news cycles, translating articles about state government into Spanish is one way to reach those neighbors where they are, because all Oregonians deserve to know what their government is doing with their tax dollars and how decisions made in the state Capitol affect their lives.
These translated articles fit with work already being done by the Legislature and state agencies, which in recent years have pushed to make government more accessible to Oregonians regardless of the language they speak. Legislative committees now feature sign language interpretation and translators who help people who testify in languages other than English. Our state-issued voters' pamphlet is also translated into 18 different languages.
We don't have the ability to translate all news articles. Instead, Maldonado is picking ones that are especially relevant to Spanish-speaking communities or of great importance statewide. Her first two translated articles are about child care providers asking the Oregon Legislature to continue subsidizing child care costs and about non-medical vaccine exemptions reaching record levels among kindergarten students.
Noticias en Español can be found in the bottom left corner of our homepage, and links to read stories in Spanish or English will be available at the top of articles. We'll continue adding more Spanish-language coverage as Maldonado and other Capital Chronicle reporters report relevant pieces.
If you have ideas for ways to make our reporting more relevant to Oregonians, please don't hesitate to reach out by emailing [e-mail].
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