An approach to multilingual communication in humanitarian contexts

The COVID 19 pandemic and successive crises are bringing about changes with terrible consequences at all levels.They are constantly highlighting the fragility and vulnerability of people and countries and the recognition that we are not selfsufficient but interdependent.In this global context of pandemic and globalisation, humanitarian aid is all the more necessary, and the use of professionals to achieve effective communication and understanding in multilingual contexts are key elements.The main objective of this article is twofold: Firstly, to call the attention to issues that affect communication in multilingual humanitarian settings, and, secondly, to discuss some of the many problems and different solutions in practice when dealing with translation and interpreting in such complex and diverse scenarios.