LC4Ukraine refugee committee talks Ukrainian, Russian translation

Organizing translators who can speak Russian and Ukrainian to potential war refugees is a top goal of the LC4Ukraine refugee committee. Elyria City Councilman Andrew Lipian, I-1st Ward and county Records Center manager, said he already has a list of 10 paid or volunteer Russian- and/or Ukrainian-speaking translators who have offered their services, he told the committee at its second meeting Friday. Those are the two languages that most refugees will speak. The estimated cost to translate a guide for new refugees that includes welcome information, directions to local social services, job support, churches, shelters, health information and other necessary information is just under $500. El Centro in Lorain created a similar guide in Spanish and English for Puerto Ricans fleeing Hurricane Maria in 2017. Kathleen Janda, operations director for the Lorain County Free Clinic, said a Romanian doctor she knows who also speaks Russian has offered their services and those of their friends who speak "many other European languages." And Lorain City Councilman Mitchell Fallis, D-at large, said Lorain Police Chief Jim McCann told him the department will need the services of interpreters as well. Executives from area hospitals who were on Friday's virtual conference call were quick to offer help. They included Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center, Mercy Health Hospital in Lorain and Akron Children's Hospital. The United States has said it will accept 100,000 people fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and some of those are expected to end up in northeastern Ohio, especially Parma, where there is a large Ukrainian and Ukrainian American population.In Lorain County, there are two Ukrainian churches, both in South Lorain: St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church. Committee members also are discussing having an emergency fund for refugees' needs when they arrive and who can access that account. "The money should be here, easily accessible, regardless of the time of day or the week," said Commissioner Matt Lundy, who is facilitating the committee's meetings. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @daveobrienCT.