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LANGUAGE BRIEF MAY 2020
COVID-19 OR KONORA?
Communicating on the “disease that strangles” in the
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
People need information on COVID-19 transmission and prevention in clear, accurate, and
accessible language.
previous disease outbreaks, in particular the
In crises like the COVID-19 pandemic it is
current outbreak of Ebola virus disease.
essential to communicate in language that is
When talking about viruses, speakers of
clear, accurate, and accessible. Only
information in a language that people Congolese Swahili, Nande, and Lingala usually
understand can save lives. use a generic term that means virus, bacteria,
germ, microbe, or any disease-causing
To guide that communication, TWB conducted
organism. In Nande, the term used is ekihuka,
a rapid focus group discussion with six
meaning virus, bacteria, or insect. Lingala
linguists working in Congolese Swahili, Nande,
speakers use the term nyama, which
Lingala, and French in eastern DRC. The group
translates to virus, parasite, or bacteria. The
discussed popular perceptions related to
Lingala word bokono, meaning illness, is also
COVID-19 terminology in these languages.
used when talking about viruses. Urban
This brief provides an overview to inform
Lingala speakers commonly use the word
humanitarian communication on COVID-19.
microbi (microbes). Speakers of Congolese
Swahili say kilulu to refer to viruses, bacteria,
Several words exist for “virus”
or disease-causing insects. Virusi, the Swahili
translation of “virus”, is also used but not
Health literacy levels are low in eastern DRC,
everyone understands it.
but most Congolese have a basic
understanding of the medical concept of a
COVID-19 is not covered by these generic
virus and viral infections. This is due to
terms. When talking of COVID-19, people in
eastern DRC refer specifically to the serious than others. This is the case for
coronavirus. diseases that carry the word “virus” in their
name, like human immunodeficiency virus
COVID-19 terminology varies (HIV) or Ebola virus disease. Using the word
“virus” in relation to COVID-19, as in virusi ya
Speakers of Congolese Swahili, Nande, and
corona in Swahili or ekihuka kye korona in
Lingala commonly refer to COVID-19 as
Nande, can increase awareness of the severity
“corona” or “coronavirus”. They understand
of the disease.
the term “COVID-19” as well, but as a more
scientific word used mostly by health
The terms used to describe
professionals and in administrative
symptoms cause confusion
communication. Most people use “corona” to
refer to the virus as well as the disease, and
There is confusion about the differences
don’t use the name SARS-CoV-2. We can
between COVID-19 and other respiratory
prevent confusion by using the terms most
diseases like flu or asthma and how to
people will recognize.
distinguish between them.
The spelling of “corona” and “coronavirus”
The symptom “dry cough” is usually not
varies by language. Nande uses a “K” to
understood and people confuse it with other
produce the sound of a hard “C.” Nande
kinds of coughing. Descriptive translations
speakers commonly refer to both the virus
and explanations like “cough which doesn’t
and the disease as ekorona. Lingala and
produce liquids'' help people to better
Congolese Swahili speakers commonly say
understand and distinguish the symptoms
corona to refer to the virus and the disease.
specific to COVID-19. The term
“asymptomatic” has no direct translation and
The table below gives examples of several
needs to be explained. A helpful descriptive
terms from our COVID-19 glossary.
phrase is “someone who has the disease but
Humanitarians should use these terms to
doesn’t develop any symptoms”.
ensure clear and consistent communication
on COVID-19.
The technical term “severe acute respiratory
infection” also causes confusion. In Swahili
The word “virus” stresses the
“severe” and “acute” are translated using the
severity of a disease same word. Congolese Swahili speakers say
maambukizi ya magumu ya sana ya kupuma,
In popular language use, several metaphorical
which translates as “serious infection of
terms that highlight the seriousness of
breathing”. In Lingala, the common translation
COVID-19 have evolved. Nande speakers use
of “severe acute respiratory infection” is
the terms enziwu or enzighu, which translate
bokona ya kopema, literally meaning
as “enemy” and “misfortune”, to talk about the
respiratory disease. Lingala speakers also say
virus. Kinyarwanda speakers in North Kivu
pema pasi, meaning breathing difficulty. The
nicknamed the virus konora, literally meaning
Nande translation, obukoni bwa mahuha, also
“to strangle”, in reference to the impact the
means respiratory disease. To stress the
virus has on both the respiratory system and
severity of COVID-19, Nande speakers
social and economic life.
sometimes use the word eribekúbéku, which
signifies bronchitis.
People generally perceive the word “virus” to
indicate that a particular disease is more
These translations make it difficult to
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distinguish COVID-19 from other respiratory
diseases and can cause confusion. This People need information, not
creates a risk that COVID-19 is seen as just
just instructions
one disease among many. To address this
confusion, people need detailed medical
People understand basic information on the
information in clear and accessible language
symptoms of COVID-19, handwashing, and
to understand COVID-19 specifically.
keeping a physical distance. But they often
Explanations that lack detail risk downplaying
lack the detail and practical guidance to
the severity of COVID-19 and can lead to
understand why COVID-19 is different from
misconceptions.
other respiratory diseases and from Ebola or
how they can practice physical distancing.
“Social distancing” is not
People need to know why and how they are
understood
supposed to follow prevention guidance.
Clear, accurate, and accessible information is
People don’t clearly understand the concept
critical for effective health messaging.
of “social distancing” and literal translations of
Detailed information in plain language will be
the term create confusion. People in the
essential to control the transmission of
former hotspots of the tenth Ebola outbreak,
COVID-19.
like Beni or Butembo, are familiar with keeping
a physical distance from others. But they are
unsure about the required distance to prevent What we have learned from
transmission of COVID-19. In Goma many
the Ebola outbreak
don’t support the idea of keeping a distance,
People don’t understand disease-related key
feeling it’s impractical and not culturally
concepts and seemingly simple terms in
acceptable. This suggests that the fact that
French and standard Swahili. In Goma, women
COVID-19 is an airborne disease, unlike Ebola,
over the age of 35 and men over 51 had
is not yet widely understood.
greatest difficulty understanding Ebola
It is important to use contextualized
messaging in these languages. In Beni, Swahili
translations of “social distancing” to ensure
is best understood in the version local to Beni,
that the concept is conveyed correctly. The
while women and older people in the Beni area
more accurate term “physical distancing” can
need information in localized Nande. Military
help people better understand how to protect
personnel and their families need information
themselves and others from COVID-19.
in Lingala.
In Nande, “physical distancing” is explained as
Some disease-related terms are socially and
ekika ky’eribya hali oko ghundi, which literally
culturally unacceptable. People consider
translates as “the required distance to stay a
those words harsh and offensive, especially
little away from others.” In Swahili it is
words they associate with death. Health
translated as tusi jongeleane, meaning “let’s
communicators replace these words with their
not be close to each other”. A more precise
own euphemistic explanations. These
translation used in Swahili is kuwa ku metre
alternatives can be inconsistent and vague,
moja namiye, meaning keep one meter apart.
potentially leading to misunderstandings.
In Lingala the precise translation is zala
A term like cas suspect (“suspected case”)
musika tika distance ya un metre, which
refers to a person who has symptoms similar
translates as “keep one meter apart”.
to the disease and whose diagnosis is not yet
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confirmed. Lacking knowledge of French,
program
people understand the French word cas as
the Nande diminutive ka. The French word
Organizations involved in the COVID-19
suspect is interpreted in the criminal sense as
response can increase their impact with three
a bandit, thief or troublemaker. Instead of
practical actions:
“suspected case”, people understand the
Base risk communication on language
literal meaning of cas suspect to be “little
data. TWB has produced language maps for
criminal”. In the local understanding, response
DRC, North Kivu and Ituri covering more than
teams thus verbally reduce someone to a bad
30 languages. To identify the most effective
person with little worth.
languages, formats, and channels for
People want complex and transparent
communicating on COVID-19, organizations
information in a language and style that is
should include four language questions in
familiar to them. They want in-depth
needs assessments and surveys.
explanations that relate to the latest
Use glossaries to ensure consistent and
developments. Yet health communicators
accurate communication. TWB has
often lack communication tools and training
developed a COVID-19 glossary. It includes
adapted to these developments, and struggle
more than 150 terms related to COVID-19 in
to provide clear and consistent answers. The
Congolese Swahili, Nande, French, and
resulting misunderstandings and
English. We are regularly updating the glossary
contradictions confuse people, and the lack of
and adding further languages.
detailed explanations creates further doubt
and frustration.
Apply plain-language principles. Plain
language will enable people to better use the
People place more trust in information they
information they receive. Information in plain
receive in face-to-face communication. These
and accessible language reduces confusion
give people the possibility to ask questions.
and has the potential to prevent rumors. TWB
Women in particular prefer to receive
has produced plain-language guidance for
information from someone they know and
humanitarian organizations working in the
trust. Local health communicators who are
COVID-19 response.
aware of cultural sensitivities can relay
information more effectively.
Do you speak COVID-19?
Language affects whether a message and the
messenger are trusted and believed. In
For further information on the importance of
crisis-affected eastern DRC, risk
language in the response to the pandemic see
communication in a language that is not our policy brief and visit TWB’s COVID-19
accurately understood prompts immediate webpage.
distrust and fear. Women in particular
TWB is developing a chatbot in local
described not seeking professional health care
languages to disseminate information on
for Ebola, for fear of misunderstandings that
COVID-19 from partners, answer frequently
could result in a false diagnosis. Yet women
asked questions, and gather data to tailor
are the main caretakers when a family
future communication.
member is sick, and usually accompany them
to the health center.
For more information on TWB’s language
support to the COVID-19 response, contact
What this means for your
corona@translatorswithoutborders.org.
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