By CHRISTINE MAI-DUC, LA Times
An error in translation for voter materials for Proposition 46, which would require drug and alcohol testing for physicians, could be affecting the way Vietnamese Americans vote on the measure Tuesday, community leaders say.
Voters at a polling place inside City Hall Nov. 4 in San Jose. Community leaders said possible errors in translations for Vietnamese voter guides may affect the way citizens vote for Proposition 46, a statewide ballot measure seeking to require drug testing of doctors. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
The translation of the measure’s title, which is printed in bold at the top of the Vietnamese language voter guide, includes a phrase that can be interpreted to mean that doctors would conduct drug tests, not be required to take them, said Lucy Huynh, a community health educator at the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance, an organization focused on health and education.
Huynh said she first saw the confusing language on Friday when she opened her ballot, and worries that many voters who aren’t paying close attention will vote incorrectly.
“It’s not just confusing, it’s totally wrong,” Huynh told The Times. “Many people are too busy or won’t have the time to read the whole voter guide. They might rely on the summary and fill in their vote.”
A call to California Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office was not immediately returned.
Huynh says she called her boss immediately to point out the error, but by then the organization felt it was too late to do anything about it before Tuesday’s election.
“This really came in under the radar,” says Jacqueline Wu, policy manager at OCAPICA. “Unfortunately for those who do this kind of work, and don’t speak the language as well as they wish they could, it can go undetected.”
Read the full story HERE.
