Beyond Translation: Building Community Through Bilingual Outreach

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

During graduate school, I discovered that science communication is not just about translating knowledge, but also about building connections. As a bilingual scientist from Ecuador, I began by translating insect outreach materials into Spanish for underserved Florida communities. This work became more than a service project; it became a lifeline. I recorded presentations on pest identification for Spanish-speaking farmworkers with the University of Florida's Pesticide Information Office. I created handouts on invasive species, biological control, and integrated pest management for Spanish-speaking audiences. Drawing on experiences in the U.S., Latin America, and South Africa, I hosted seminars on classical biological control at Universidad Central del Ecuador, sharing successful programs against invasive pests and plants. These interactions showed me that language is a bridge, not just to knowledge, but to inclusion. At science fairs and elementary schools, I met Spanish-speaking families who lit up when someone explained science in their language. Parents leaned in and encouraged their children to ask, “What do insects eat? How do they live? How can I become a scientist?”—questions that might never have surfaced in English-only spaces. These small exchanges reminded me that culturally responsive outreach isn't a luxury; it's necessary for equitable science (Canfield et al. 2020).