National Weather Service cuts back on automatic translation services
This story has been updated to add new information.
A National Weather Service project to automatically translate certain forecasts faces an uncertain future amid widespread budget cuts in the federal government.
“Due to a contract lapse, NWS paused the automated language translation services for our products until further notice,” according to an April 1 administrative message published by the weather service.
A map providing automatic translations appeared to be functioning over a week later. But it warned that functionality of the text translations could be interrupted.
The change, which was announced last week, is "due to a contract lapse," weather service spokesperson Michael Musher confirmed in a statement to Paste BN 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."
Paste BN 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 Paste BN. 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 about 40 million 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 and Joel Shannon, Paste BN