Tuvalu MET Service working on a glossary of weather and climate terms in Tuvaluan

Complex climate and weather terminologies will be a thing of the past for meteorologists and journalists in Tuvalu once the glossary of terms is ready for use.

Acting Director of Tuvalu Meteorological Service, Tauala Katea told the Third Pacific Meteorological Council meeting the new glossary will have the English weather forecasting terms translated into Tuvaluan.

“The glossary will greatly assist the work of journalists who will deliver the weather information to the people in the islands,” said Mr.Katea.

Journalists in Tuvalu have been struggling with the translation of weather and climate terms into the vernacular language.

The Tuvaluan language does not have specific words for most of the weather and climate terms and the translation usually require two to three sentences to explain a single term.

Katea is conscious however of the long process and the availability of staff to carry out the work.

“We are doing the translation voluntarily because of budget constraints. But we need the glossary for our work and we will need to go out and consult with the island communities to collect their views on the most appropriate translation for the terms.”

“We will need staff to travel to the outer islands to talk with communities or organise consultations with representatives of the eight island communities on the capital, Funafuti, to get their views”, said Katea.

Katea said he has raised the constraints of the publication of the glossary with the FINPAC Project Manager at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP),  Christina Leala-Gale.