In multilingual crisis communication, translating information alone is not enough. Reaching language minority groups also requires trust, carefully selected communication channels, and consideration of the needs of different language groups.
During crises, people have a greater need to receive reliable information quickly. To follow the guidance provided, information needs to be understandable and easy to find. At its best, effective crisis communication can increase participation, strengthen trust in public authorities, and promote equality even in challenging circumstances.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that crisis communication does not always reach everyone equally well. Although information about the virus, vaccinations and restrictions was widely available, accessing and utilising it was not equally easy for everyone. People with limited proficiency in Finnish or Swedish were more likely than others to feel that they had not received enough information about the virus or how to prevent its spread. The pandemic highlighted the importance of ensuring that everyone living in Finland has equal access to the health information they need, including during crises.
In our recent study, we examined multilingual crisis communication in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of professionals. For the study, we interviewed public authorities, municipal employees and representatives of non-governmental organisations who worked with multilingual crisis communication during the pandemic.
Translation alone is not enough
A key finding of our study was that having information available in one's own language is important, but this alone is not enough to ensure equality for people belonging to language minorities – that is, people whose mother tongue is neither Finnish nor Swedish – during crises. Alongside translation, it is particularly important to ensure that people can find the essential information, understand it and consider it credible and trustworthy. Three factors are particularly important:
1) who communicates the message
2) which channels are used to communicate it, and
3) how well the message responds to people's actual needs and questions.
Trust is built before a crisis
The professionals we interviewed emphasised the importance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in crisis communication. Many NGOs already have trusting relationships with people from different language minorities who may be more difficult for public authorities to reach. NGOs can also inform public authorities about the concerns, questions and misconceptions that may be circulating within different language groups. In a rapidly changing situation, this information is invaluable to public authorities.
The content and language of a message alone do not determine its impact. It also matters whether people trust the sender. Trust, however, cannot be built from scratch in the middle of a crisis. It develops through long-term cooperation, dialogue, and interaction before a crisis occurs.
One message cannot reach everyone
Our findings also showed that different language minorities cannot be viewed as a homogeneous group. People's different backgrounds, experiences, education, information needs and media habits, for example, affect how they find, understand and use information. This is why a single message or communication channel is not enough to reach everyone.
Many of the professionals considered it particularly important to involve members of language minorities in the planning and implementation of multilingual crisis communication. When people can explain what kind of information they need and how they would like to receive it, communication becomes more relevant and better at taking their different backgrounds into account. This can also strengthen participation, trust, and equality among different groups.
Crisis communication requires preparation
Although the pandemic is over, the message of our study remains relevant. We will continue to face crises related to areas such as health, safety, and the environment. Based on our research, we want to emphasise that planning for multilingual crisis communication should not begin only after a crisis has emerged. We need established practices, trust, structures for cooperation, and sufficient resources in place beforehand. When cooperation and trust have already been built before a crisis, important information can reach people when they need it most.
This article is based on the study by Laura Musta, Tomi Mäki-Opas, Marko Lähteenmäki, and Natalia Skogberg, published in BMC Public Health in 2026, “Exploring multilingual Covid-19 crisis communication in Finland through the lens of social marketing: a qualitative study”.