Indigenous Mayan Healthcare Communication Solutions

Indigenous Mayan-American’s Language Access Troubles 

Mayans are quickly mistaken as Spanish speaking speakers due to their physical attributes and their birthplace, Guatemala, a Post-colonialism Spanish speaking country. These two factors quickly give the wrong idea that they are fluent Spanish speakers. Mayan Communities from rural villages have been historically discriminated against by native Spanish speakers for their “odd” Mayan language, attire, traditions and ways of life for decades. Mayan families spoke only at home. Many were also forced to  immigrate from their villages due to mass Mayan genocides that happened in the 80s and 90s, ending recently in 1996. That made it more of a survival technique to not speak Mayan and learn Spanish to blend in and evade death. Many cannot write in Spanish or even write their names, making it deadly when crucial information is given to them in Spanish and not in their language. 

In the USA, Mayans have been misclassified in public health data as nonindigenous Spanish-Speaking people. At Highland Hospital, a local safety-net hospital in Oakland. The first ever research on Mayans in a US healthcare system found out that “ Coronavirus disease 2019 has disproportionately and negatively affected communities of color in the United States, especially Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations. We report a cluster of COVID-19 cases among the Maya in Alameda County, California. Most of whom were misclassified in public health data as nonindigenous Spanish-speaking people.” 

Technology has become integral and crucial to the healthcare system as well as for the patients who want to gain access and navigate the healthcare system successfully. In today’s modern world, the way we communicate continues to evolve. For example, during and post-pandemic era, Zoom is a necessity to talk to the doctor, pharmacists, surgeons, and complete consent forms for surgeries. Without technology you cannot send emails, receive text reminders, or other simple actions. Also, those who do not know how to even navigate their flip- phones are in trouble because they can’t access healthcare apps on a flip phone. Learning how to use a smartphone is an accomplishment for many Mayan speakers who have never used one in their lives. Some have never even been to a hospital before.

Language Vendors do not provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services. Many times, for profit, language companies provide  the incorrect interpreter for the job because they do not understand the various languages and  variants that exist. Other times, there are no interpreters available and due to the lack of interpreters, these companies begin desperately looking for untrained, inexperienced, and uncertified bilingual speakers who are little to no help with complex medical situations. Without the correct knowledge of the Mayan languages and their respective dialects, unintentional harm is done by forcing these Limited English Speakers to speak in Spanish, a foreign language, to navigate their healthcare journey in the USA

The challenges also exist outside of healthcare such as in the immigration, financial, and government sectors that Immigrants such as refugees, asylum seekers need to live in the USA. 

Awareness on both sides of the aisle: Maya and Non-Maya Speakers 

Media Technology Power

Training for Mayan Mam and Non-Mayan Speakers 

1. Digital Media Content: 

   1. Non-Mayan Speakers: 

Provide Information to make anyone understand the Mayan Languages, dialects, culture, traditions, and attire to better serve LEP Mayan Speakers in every encounter. Provide and have ready the resources, recommendations, and tips in creating an appropriate and informed language access plan specifically customized for every LEP Mayan Speaker. We can go further and provide awareness and exposure of other Mayan languages, Culture and Traditions, Food and Music ,Videos, Images, Audio and Tourism.

1. Digital Media Content:

   1.  For Mayan Speakers:

      1. Inform Mayan language speakers how to advocate for themselves, locate resources, and recommend services and steps to accomplish their goal independently while having planned and completed a list of language access options and steps to attain language services. 

         1. Covid-19: The World Pandemic Crisis

            1. When the pandemic started, a series of videos in Spanish and Maya Mam were made in collaboration with a local healthcare community center that explained thoroughly about covid-19, prevention, and providing actionable steps to get in touch with resources.

1. Biden’s Mayan Task Force 

   1. Four Mayan Languages delivered translations, and a video of the translations in Oral Form to share updates on Mayan Family Separation that happened at the southern border of the USA.  

1. Become a local, state and nationally trusted professional language service provider for Mayan Languages to share important and crucial information. 

1. English Classes for practical use for self-navigation and empowerment in the healthcare system through storytelling and media technology.  

   1. Engaging with the community by providing education and Information videos about learning some basic English words and sentences to learn:

      1. How to ask for an appointment in English? 

      2. How to make a phone call to your local health centers?

      3. How to set your insurance up?

      4. How to say basic health symptoms in English? 

Language documentation is a form of language justice. Every year multiple elders are slowly dying off, taking with them so much knowledge and wisdom as well as original and pure Mayan words. For the roots and language to remain as much as we can. Minority Mayan Languages such as Maya Mam are oral indigenous languages who have existed for years and are still active and non-extinct, yet. By recording their voices, the sounds, the facial expression will be vital for the years to come. Accomplishing this through Media Technology. Everyone in the world can have access. 

Also provide Interpreting Services by trained, experienced and certified healthcare interpreter to the healthcare system and provide a language access infrastructure for the Mayan Community who lack the equipment or internet needed requirements to their healthcare system or  who do not have the ability to self-navigate language access, technology, healthcare system by providing a brick and mortar location and remote culturally and linguistically appropriate services. 

EIM will be a indigenous mayan business that provides Indigenous Mayan Communication solutions while taking into consideration multiple factors other than language for a successful seamless conversation. 

My solution serves both the Mayan communities who are the high-risk and vulnerable communities that usually do not know how to access language services, and how to request one for their appointments. Many of the times, these Indigenous Mayan language speakers are immigrants who have acquired residency or citizenship after years in the immigration system as refugees, asylum seekers and many of the times, many have only an education, if any, up to a 6th grade. Many have not even been into a Emergency room up until the verge of death or extreme pain. Then losing contact with the healthcare system to acquire a Primary doctor, dental , eye, or insurance services because of language barriers, and language access and little to no resources in their native languages, especially orale languages such as Maya Mam. The most vulnerable are older mayan speakers that have less abilities to speak in spanish due to them not even having education at all during the war and mass genocides. 

However, I cannot leave out the non-maya speakers that also benefit from having a reliable and go-to place that they can navigate easily, and provide resources to the maya speakers they are working with or to simply give a warm hand off for maya speakers to have a trusted source to begin their journey from.  Also non-maya speakers are usually the customers, and the maya speakers the user of the language services so it is very beneficial for non-maya speakers to have a better understanding when requesting a mayan interpreter for example or when asking to have a transcreated education healthcare video or government video.

Furthermore, there are no language agencies that provide Walk-Ins and In-House Certified healthcare interpreters. Therefore, both Mayan and non-mayan speakers will benefit from a reliable source. 

Lastly, the digital media content can be a form of resource that not only Maya speakers that live in Oakland, California or the United States benefit from but the whole world and including maya mam speakers in the rural villages. 

If I were to be able to have the funding to also create a brick and mortar location in maya villages for them to also access our professional language services to help them navigate the Spanish speaking country that they were born into but lack access to. Language barriers being one of them.

The vision is to serve ALL Mayan languages and their respective unique dialects/variants. However, since I am a Mayan medical interpreter, I specialize in a minority Mayan language that does not have a formalized written system. In many cases in the healthcare system and legal systems, there are situations in which a written document is required to be given to the patient or client. Making it practically useful for a Mayan speaker who is given documents in Spanish because of a lack of Mayan written system. Spanish does not help these non-Spanish speakers. 

Therefore, since there is a lack of a writing system, at least for now, there needs to be an alternative. With some of the projects accomplished, and work experience that I have accumulated while serving Mayan mam speakers and various dialects is that, Maya mam and other minority language speakers simply have less resources across the board. Including written material. 

In efforts to increase healthcare access, equity and equality. The same work that will be done with the first oral Mayan minority language will be done with other Mayan languages and their dialects as we grow. 

No other language company that I know of provides all of the rare and unique Mayan languages and dialects. They barely understand the language and its extensiveness, so they are simply offering a product they do not even know will solve a communication problem. 

The Maya mam community in the united states would be the Mayan communities who would be needed for In-Person required interpretation work while trying to serve the vast network of healthcare system or other systems such as the government sector with On Demand Mayan interpreters to be ready and on stand-by for Emergency room doctors, police officers, or the fire department when needed.

All of the team members that I intend to recruit will have the passion, the drive, and the expertise in an area of Mayan languages, modern Mayan history, and about the Mayan communities in the united states such as Mayan Mam that are predominantly here in the Fruitvale district in Oakland, CA. 

This solution is intended to be for the community and by the community. 

As for me, I am the first Mayan Mam certified healthcare interpreter to be able to provide medical interpreting services anywhere in the United states. Allowing me to have a broad understanding of the Mayan language needs in the healthcare systems and also working as an In-Person Medical Interpreter at a local safety-net hospital’s Interpreting Department. Giving me an understanding of the local healthcare language needs, both for Maya mam and Non-Maya speakers. 

I am applying to Solve because I believe that it is not just another organization that says they support small businesses but they don’t provide the tools and the network necessary to grow and expand to scale, while doing so with the mindset that there are people behind the numbers on our white paper sheets. I also became more excited in knowing that Tarjimly was a fruit, a nice outcome from Solve. Giving me more confidence that Solve knows how to work with language service providers. All my family knows how to farm but no one has ever had a business, especially a language business. Makes it even more difficult to know where to start, and what questions to ask. 

Especially at such a scale that CEO Atif Javed was able to achieve and across borders for the languages that he has been able to support. If given the opportunity, I would love to have an opportunity to meet and learn from his experience as a language service leader in a very important tool for humans to have while navigating the world and life’s unfair circumstances with more confidence than ever before. I can just imagine asking the questions and receiving answers because Tarjimly has already gone through the initial phases that a language service provider needs to go through regardless. 

Besides learning from very experienced leaders, Solve is part of M.I.T, a very supportive and highly regarded and respected institution internationally. I remember hearing just slightly about M.I.T. when I was in high school but never thought I’d be applying to an opportunity with M.I.T’s support. 

Lastly, It is very assuring and a feeling of a safe-space since this is specifically for indigenous communities. Highlighting that we are also part of the solution to the problems and issues our communities face.

Finally, funds that will help make our solutions reality. And the exposure that Solve places us with the right group of people such as the Black and Brown Innovators program , and the US Indigenous Opportunity event.  

The Team lead, Gerardo, being a Mayan mam language speaker, is involved with the Mayan communities and individuals daily through his healthcare interpreting services. Serving as community interpreter in the Oakland Community for over 10 years, including while in middle school. At the forefront and advocate for other Maya language and dialect/variant speakers who enter the local healthcare system while serving as a staff at Highland Hospital, a local safety net hospital in Oakland. That position has allowed him to collect stories, and issues and challenges that Maya language speakers face when attempting to have language access and resources. He has initiated collaboration and partnerships with local the community health centers on  how to advocate to acquire language access through educational and informational videos. 

Active in the community and being part of the First Mayan Festival of Oakland as a volunteer. He also took part in a collective effort to create awareness in regards to the challenges of Mayan Language speakers in the healthcare system, especially during covid-19. 

Communications Technology and Media Technology to deliver interpreting services and Digital Content to Mayan Speakers all over the united states