The need for accurate translation services at our borders is so great that it can literally be the difference between life and death. One of the issues the United States is dealing with right now is the lack of professional services for Guatemalan asylum seekers at the US/Mexico border.
The Challenge
In the not so distant past from 1960 to 1996, Guatemala was caught in a civil war. As a result, over 200,000 people died or disappeared. 83% of those victims were Mayan. Today, 40% of Guatemala’s 15-million person population is indigenous. Since the war, violent racism has continued to run rampant throughout the country, causing many Mayans to flee to the United States for asylum.
Once at the border, the language barrier is a significant problem. The general assumption by many Americans is that all Guatemalans speak Spanish since it is their official and most spoken language. However, of the 250,000 Guatemalans apprehended at the US border in the past year, nearly 50% are Mayans who do not speak Spanish. According to the US Department of Justice’s 2018 Immigration Review Report, Guatemala ranked #2 for nationality of immigrant applications. In their statistics of languages used in immigration hearings, Spanish ranked #1, “Unknown language” (a scary thought) was #5, and finally Mam was #9.
Mam is one of 22 indigenous languages used by approximately 842,000 Mayans in Guatemala today. There are three Mayan languages used more prevalently in Guatemala: K’iche’, Q’eqchi’, and Kaqchikel.
The Impact on a Life
Jakelin Amel Rosmery Caal Maquin, 7 years old, came to the border with her father, Nery Caal, in 2018. Father and daughter were from Raxruhá, a Q’eqchi’ region of Guatemala. Her story hit the news media when she died of an infection within 2 days of coming into US custody. The US held a stance that there was no liability on the part of US customs officials because Nery had signed a statement attesting his daughter was in good health and so no extra medical care had been provided upon their arrival.
However, a reporter from the New Yorker, Rachel Nolan, investigated the story further and learned of additional details from a Guatemalan counselor official who met with Nery Caal after Jakelin’s death. For his meeting with Nery, the official had to bring in a translator because Nery did not speak Spanish—he spoke only Q’eqchi’. In the interview, he learned Nery had been required to sign an English document that was only translated into Spanish even though he could not understand the contents contained within it. As a result, Nery was unable to communicate the actual health condition of his daughter to the US Border Officials. Unfortunately, the US did not know of Jakelin’s health issues until she began to have seizures and was transported to a hospital.
The Takeaway
Stories like these emphasize the importance of obtaining thorough and accurate language translation services. The inability to read some or all parts of official documents can have a significant impact on you or your loved ones. Know what you’re signing before you sign it.
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