Crisis and Citizen Translation: Jordanian Gypsies amid the Coronavirus/Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study concerns the health of the Gypsy minority of Jordan amid the coronavirus/Covid-19 pandemic, and language services available and their effect on the public health. The study finds that this minority group was excluded from consideration by the authorities in their attempts to counter the pandemic. This study is a qualitative investigation, adopting an ethnographic model to elicit data from the target sample. The findings reveal that the Jordanian Gypsies were overlooked, mainly because their language (Domari) is not one of the languages supported by the country’s translation services. Moreover, due to the minority’s paucity of schooling and high illiteracy rates, together with their belief in supernatural powers and superstitions, their concept of the disease is erroneous, and Covid-19 therefore has the potential to take a significant toll on both the Gypsies and the wider community in which they live. This study recommends that the authorities and related bodies, such as academic institutions, should launch a training program to qualify Gypsy volunteers to provide translation services in the form of citizen translators.