Latest news with #MichaelMusher
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
National Weather Service is halting translated weather alerts for non-English speakers
The National Weather Service has halted its automated translation services for weather alerts until further notice. This will likely impact the accessibility of weather alerts for non-English speakers locally. Here's what we know. The change, which was announced last week, is "due to a contract lapse," weather service spokesperson Michael Musher confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY without elaborating further. Language translation software firm Lilt has provided artificial intelligence to translate weather service alerts for over a year. The NWS announced the partnership in October 2023, revealing the AI technology would translate alerts from English to several other languages including Spanish, French, Vietnamese, simplified Chinese and Samoan. "This language translation project will improve our service equity to traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations that have limited English proficiency," the weather service's director Ken Graham said in a news release at the time. "By providing weather forecasts and warnings in multiple languages, NWS will improve community and individual readiness and resilience as climate change drives more extreme weather events." In Indianapolis, NWS typically tweets out severe weather alerts, which they did during the severe weather earlier this month. It is unclear at this time exactly what translated services will be halted through NWS. IndyStar reached out to NWS Public Affairs for clarification, but did not hear back prior to publication. IndyStar has a list of weather resources for Spanish-speaking residents. While NWS no longer supplies emergency weather alerts in other languages, they link to other sites that do, including FEMA and American Red Cross. NWS' webpages that have previously been translated are still accessible. Story continues after photo gallery. Para residentes hispanohablantes en Indiana, IndyStar tiene una página web de recursos para el tiempo en Español. La página web es accesible aquí o visite para encontrar el pronóstico del tiempo diario, condiciones próximas e información adicional de seguridad de NWS. The pause in translation services comes after the Trump administration declared English the official language of the U.S. last month for the first time in the nation's history. President Donald Trump passed the executive order designating one official language to "promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement," according to the White House. The order rescinds a mandate former President Bill Clinton passed in 2000 requiring federal agencies and all recipients of federal funding to provide non-English speakers with access to language assistance. Since returning to office in January, Trump has led a hefty crack down on illegal immigration that has long brought people from many countries speaking languages other than English. Yes; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which encompasses the NWS, was also among the federal government agencies impacted by the mass terminations of probationary workers. More than 1,020 NOAA employees were laid off, according to a NOAA email sent to staff on March 11 and obtained by USA TODAY. However, the email clarified staff who work in NWS forecast operations and maintenance support were not included in the reductions. While English continues to be the most spoken language in the nation, a 2019 U.S. Census Bureau report found 67.8 million others spoke a non-English language at home, a nearly 94% increase from 1980. Spanish was the second most spoken language at home in 2019, according to the census report, with more than 41,000 speakers. "The primary purpose of collecting language data is to measure the proportion of the U.S. population that may need help in understanding English," according to the census report. "Government agencies and other organizations can use these language data to determine the need for translators and other language assistance services." Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NWS weather alerts will not be translated for non-English speakers
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
NWS pauses language translation for its products ‘until further notice'
The Brief The National Weather Service paused any automated language translation services for its products indefinitely. NWS said the pause was due to a contract lapse. Experts warned that non-English speakers could potentially miss life-saving warnings about severe weather without the language translation service. The National Weather Service will no longer be providing language translations for its products. NWS said it "paused" the translations because its contract with the provider had lapsed, according to NWS spokesperson Michael Musher. The backstory Lilt, an artificial intelligence company, began providing translations in late 2023, replacing manual translations that the weather service had said were labor-intensive and not sustainable. It eventually provided them in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Samoan. The contract lapse comes as President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies, including cuts within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that have led to high employee vacancy rates at NWS offices. Weather experts warned that non-English speakers living in the U.S. could potentially miss life-saving warnings about severe weather without these translations. What they're saying "The value is for the millions of people in the area and around the country that rely on these kind of things, maybe English is not their native language, so when they're getting critical weather information: warnings, watches, those translated in their native language truly can be a life or death situation and extremely helpful to have that. So taking that away is really really important," John Homenuk, a meteorologist at NY Metro Weather, told FOX 5 New York. By the numbers Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, including 42 million Spanish speakers, according to 2019 Census data. Why you should care Not being able to read urgent weather alerts could be a matter of life or death, said Joseph Trujillo-Falcón, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has worked with NOAA researching how to translate weather and climate information to the public, including the use of artificial intelligence. He said translated weather alerts saved lives during a deadly tornado outbreak in Kentucky in 2021. A Spanish-speaking family interviewed afterward said they got a tornado alert on their cellphone in English but ignored it because they didn't understand it, he said. When the same alert came in Spanish, they quickly sought shelter, he said. "It saved their life," said Trujillo-Falcón. The Source Information for this article was taken from a FOX 5 New York newscast and an interview with John Homenuk. The Associated Press also contributed.
USA Today
10-04-2025
- Climate
- USA Today
National Weather Service alerts will no longer be translated for non-English speakers
National Weather Service alerts will no longer be translated for non-English speakers The National Weather Service has halted its automated translation services for weather alerts until further notice. The change, which was announced last week, is "due to a contract lapse," weather service spokesperson Michael Musher confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY without elaborating further. Language translation software firm Lilt has provided artificial intelligence to translate weather service alerts for over a year. The NWS announced the partnership in October 2023, revealing the AI technology would translate alerts from English to several other languages including Spanish, French, Vietnamese, simplified Chinese and Samoan. "This language translation project will improve our service equity to traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations that have limited English proficiency," the weather service's director Ken Graham said in a news release at the time. "By providing weather forecasts and warnings in multiple languages, NWS will improve community and individual readiness and resilience as climate change drives more extreme weather events." USA TODAY has reached out to Lilt for comment. Trump declares English the official language of US The pause in translation services comes after the Trump administration declared English the official language of the U.S. last month for the first time in the nation's history. President Donald Trump passed the executive order designating one official language to "promote unity, cultivate a shared American culture for all citizens, ensure consistency in government operations, and create a pathway to civic engagement," according to the White House. The order rescinds a mandate former President Bill Clinton passed in 2000 requiring federal agencies and all recipients of federal funding to provide non-English speakers with access to language assistance. Since returning to office in January, Trump has led a hefty crack down on illegal immigration that has long brought people from many countries speaking languages other than English. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which encompasses the NWS, were also among the federal government agencies impacted by the mass terminations of probationary workers. More than 1,020 NOAA employees were laid off, according to a NOAA email sent to staff on March 11 and obtained by USA TODAY. However, The email clarified staff who work in NWS forecast operations and maintenance support were not included in the reductions. Around 67 million people speak non-English languages in the US While English continues to be the most spoken language in the nation, a 2019 U.S. Census Bureau report found 67.8 million others spoke a non-English language at home, a nearly 94% increase from 1980. Spanish was the second most spoken language at home in 2019, according to the census report, with more than 41,000 speakers. "The primary purpose of collecting language data is to measure the proportion of the U.S. population that may need help in understanding English," according to the census report. "Government agencies and other organizations can use these language data to determine the need for translators and other language assistance services." Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY
CNN
08-04-2025
- Climate
- CNN
National Weather Service no longer translating products for non-English speakers
The National Weather Service is no longer providing language translations of its products, a change that experts say could put non-English speakers at risk of missing potentially life-saving warnings about extreme weather. The weather service has 'paused' the translations because its contract with the provider has lapsed, NWS spokesperson Michael Musher said. He declined further comment. Lilt, an artificial intelligence company, began providing translations in late 2023, replacing manual translations that the weather service had said were labor-intensive and not sustainable. It eventually provided them in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Samoan. The contract lapse comes as President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies, including cuts within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that have led to high employee vacancy rates at NWS offices. NOAA referred questions about the contract to a message on its website announcing the contract had lapsed. Lilt did not respond to requests for comment. Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, including 42 million Spanish speakers, according to 2019 Census data. Not being able to read urgent weather alerts could be a matter of life or death, said Joseph Trujillo-Falcón, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has worked with NOAA researching how to translate weather and climate information to the public, including the use of artificial intelligence. He said translated weather alerts saved lives during a deadly tornado outbreak in Kentucky in 2021. A Spanish-speaking family interviewed afterward said they got a tornado alert on their cellphone in English but ignored it because they didn't understand it, he said. When the same alert came in Spanish, they quickly sought shelter, he said. 'It saved their life,' said Trujillo-Falcón. Trujillo-Falcón said weather alerts used to be translated by forecasters that spoke more than one language, a task that could be 'completely overwhelming' on top of their forecasting duties. The translations are important for more than extreme weather events, said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a senior researcher at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. General weather forecasts are essential for a number of sectors including tourism, transportation and energy. Families and businesses can make more informed decisions when they can get weather information that often includes actions that should be taken based on the forecast. Norma Mendoza-Denton, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said there are many people in the U.S. that function with limited English relevant to their daily routines. For example, a shopkeeper might be able to have short conversations with customers, but might not have the same understanding when it comes to reading weather or climate terminologies. 'If they don't have access to that National Weather Service information in the different languages, that could be the difference between life and death for somebody,' said Mendoza-Denton.
CNN
08-04-2025
- Climate
- CNN
National Weather Service no longer translating products for non-English speakers
The National Weather Service is no longer providing language translations of its products, a change that experts say could put non-English speakers at risk of missing potentially life-saving warnings about extreme weather. The weather service has 'paused' the translations because its contract with the provider has lapsed, NWS spokesperson Michael Musher said. He declined further comment. Lilt, an artificial intelligence company, began providing translations in late 2023, replacing manual translations that the weather service had said were labor-intensive and not sustainable. It eventually provided them in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Samoan. The contract lapse comes as President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies, including cuts within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that have led to high employee vacancy rates at NWS offices. NOAA referred questions about the contract to a message on its website announcing the contract had lapsed. Lilt did not respond to requests for comment. Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, including 42 million Spanish speakers, according to 2019 Census data. Not being able to read urgent weather alerts could be a matter of life or death, said Joseph Trujillo-Falcón, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has worked with NOAA researching how to translate weather and climate information to the public, including the use of artificial intelligence. He said translated weather alerts saved lives during a deadly tornado outbreak in Kentucky in 2021. A Spanish-speaking family interviewed afterward said they got a tornado alert on their cellphone in English but ignored it because they didn't understand it, he said. When the same alert came in Spanish, they quickly sought shelter, he said. 'It saved their life,' said Trujillo-Falcón. Trujillo-Falcón said weather alerts used to be translated by forecasters that spoke more than one language, a task that could be 'completely overwhelming' on top of their forecasting duties. The translations are important for more than extreme weather events, said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a senior researcher at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University. General weather forecasts are essential for a number of sectors including tourism, transportation and energy. Families and businesses can make more informed decisions when they can get weather information that often includes actions that should be taken based on the forecast. Norma Mendoza-Denton, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, said there are many people in the U.S. that function with limited English relevant to their daily routines. For example, a shopkeeper might be able to have short conversations with customers, but might not have the same understanding when it comes to reading weather or climate terminologies. 'If they don't have access to that National Weather Service information in the different languages, that could be the difference between life and death for somebody,' said Mendoza-Denton.
