[EAS] Serving Multilingual audience

[Ed Czarnecki]

Text transcoding of EAS elements is a small part of what I was talking about
in Omnilingual.   This is a broad multi-lingual capability supporting
textual transcoding, supporting free-form CAP text, multiple language TTS,
carrying multiple language alert messages in post audio, creating all-new
TTS engines (that not even Google had at the time), and a host of additional
language management options.

>>> The advocates for multilingual alerts ultimately want the same
information provided in all included languages - and ASL.  They are not
interested in getting full text in one language with condensed headlines or
a door bell in other languages.

Careful there.  Not all multilingual "advocates" are taking this position.
Unlike many who are shooting from the hip on this topic (including these
advocates themselves), we were deeply involved in social science research on
what is useful, usable and acceptable by actual viewing LEP audiences.  And,
surprisingly, these actual viewers did not object at all to a standard EAS
message, particularly if it were accompanied by the English full-CAP
version.  Not only did they not object, but they indicated that such an
approach was appreciated.

I already opined on the challenges of creating public warning lexicons in
languages that do not have native analogs to certain terms.  I'm glad to
hear others bandwagoning on this.

Our company's position is that no additional regulation on broadcasters or
EAS manufacturers is necessary in this area.  If an operation wants to carry
different languages, there are emerging technology tools that can part of
the way there, even if the EMA is not capable of rendering alert messages in
multiple languages themselves.

And, of course, the EMAs are outside the scope of the FCC - whether or not
they provide multiple language support is up to them.  And we have provided
multilinguage CAP support at several state EOCs - Ohio has English and
Spanish, for example.  MN HSEM has English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali (and I
think French as well).

If the multilingual advocates (looking right at MMTC, here) really want to
make progress on this point they should be pressuring for Congress to give
tied funding to DHS/FEMA to in term grant state/county EOCs to acquire
multilingual origination support.   Rather than try to press an scattergun
unfunded multilingual mandate, as they already tried (and failed).