The National Weather Service has halted its automated translation services for weather alerts due to a contract lapse. The service was provided by language translation software firm Lilt, which had been translating alerts from English to several languages including Spanish, French, Vietnamese, simplified Chinese, and Samoan to improve service equity to underserved populations. The pause in translation services comes after President Trump declared English the official language of the U.S., rescinding a mandate for federal agencies to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the NWS, laid off over 1,000 employees, but NWS forecast operations and maintenance support staff were not affected. While English remains the most spoken language in the U.S., a growing number of people speak non-English languages at home, with Spanish being the second most spoken language. The Census Bureau collects language data to determine the need for translators and language assistance services. The NWS’s decision to halt translation services raises concerns about accessibility to weather alerts for non-English speakers and underserved populations, particularly as extreme weather events become more common due to climate change.
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