A Push for US Tourism Starts at the Airport

To no one’s surprise, most signs, videos, and other communication materials at major American airports are only provided in English.  

As we slowly shift back to normalcy, the push on US tourism is in full force, but the limited translation resources in airports may shy people away from traveling to the US.

In an effort to improve this issue, a US House Committee passed a bill on October 26, 2021 that would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to translate these communication outlets, as well as airport workers.

Congresswoman Dina Titus (D–NV) first introduced the TSA Reaching Across Nationalities, Societies, and Languages to Advance Traveler Education (TRANSLATE) Act in the 116th Congress, in July 2019. 

“As travel numbers increase and airports get busier, I’m encouraged to see my TRANSLATE Act pass through @HomelandDems,” Titus tweeted on October 27, 2021. “This will make airport travel easier for diverse communities like Las Vegas, international visitors, and those with vision or hearing impairments.”

Conversely, some people find TRANSLATE to be a bit far-reaching given the amount of media it requires to be translated. 

While the House Homeland Security Committee passed the bill by a unanimous vote, it remains to be seen how the full House of Representatives will receive it.

Source: https://slator.com/bill-may-require-us-airports-to-overhaul-multilingual-communications/