STEM Translation is More Than Words: How Science, Engineering and Language are Making the Psyche Mission Accessible to Spanish Speakers

Abstract:

With approximately 50 million Spanish-speakers in the U.S. and 500 million

worldwide, the integration of language diversity into our institutions and outreach is

necessary to increase inclusivity in STEM. NASA offers existing Spanish resources

(https://ciencia.nasa.gov/, https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/sp/, @NASA_es) to facilitate

learning and engagement among Spanish speakers. An undergraduate-led effort to

translate materials into Spanish for NASA’s Psyche mission contributes to this goal,

adding to work being done by a student group called Ciencia Para Todos (Science

For All).

The first project focused on translating the mission’s “FAQs,” as those provide a

comprehensive overview of the mission. Critical to this process was acknowledging

that translation, particularly of technical information, involves more than simply

translating each word. We found that new phrasing often was needed to ensure

accuracy and comprehensibility. Spanish-speaking Psyche mission team members

worked with us to adjust the scientific descriptions to make sure we were not

unintentionally introducing inaccuracies or misconceptions. The FAQs are available

at https://psyche.asu.edu/mission/faq/sp/.

A second project was prompted by an REU student’s work with two non-profit

organizations that provide free educational/health programs for Bay Area

communities (Latino Task Force and CALMA) to provide COVID-19 assistance. With

parents often waiting in long lines, the goal was to provide something fun for

children that could inspire them to dream big and realize that they are capable of

being STEM professionals in the future. An existing Psyche children’s story coloring

book was translated, using lessons and phrasing learned through the FAQ

translation process to assure accurate and understandable content.

With so many variations of Spanish spoken, we sought reviews from Spanish

speakers on the Psyche mission team (those from around the world and those from

the U.S. who speak Spanish with their families) to ensure that the language would

be understandable to as many people as possible. We will provide examples of

concepts and passages that required rephrasing for inclusivity to demonstrate the

importance of engaging a diverse group of speakers when translating scientific and

technical information.