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GeoTraductores democratizes science, one translation at a time

English is the dominant language for communicating research and discoveries in scientific journals. The same is true for science communication outlets such as news articles, multimedia, and press releases. However, sharing this information only in English excludes large audiences, which can be particularly dangerous when it comes to Earth and space science topics.

Without access to the latest science information in their native language, community members may be less equipped to manage hazards such as climate change, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

In an effort to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Earth and space sciences, Eos, the nonprofit GeoLatinas, and the science communication collective Planeteando joined forces to communicate science news to Spanish-speaking communities.

Their collaboration, GeoTraductores, began in 2020 and focused initially on translating science articles from AGU's Eos into Spanish. Over a 4-year period, approximately 40 GeoTraductores participants and several Eos staff members worked together to translate, edit, and publish more than 150 Spanish articles for Eos en Español.

In their published in Community Science, D. J. Navarro-Perez and colleagues examined the impact of GeoTraductores on visitor traffic to the Eos website and found a surge in traffic from Latin American countries.

Readership in Colombia, Mexico, and Panama increased by more than 85%, and traffic from Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru grew by 20%. In Spain, readership increased 40% over the same time period.

The authors point out that most GeoTraductores participants were women (85%), and almost all were early-career scientists. They add that this collaboration is an example of how bilingual science communication can help democratize scientific literature for Latin American audiences—including Spanish-speaking populations within the United States.