A listener contacted Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) describing how his Turkish friend, who lives legally in Lithuania, received an emergency warning message only in Lithuanian and did not understand what to do.
Although the rules state that such alerts should be sent in several languages, the authorities admit that in urgent cases the first message may appear only in Lithuanian.
The listener recalled that he and his Turkish friend both received a warning about a fire, but while he understood it, his friend did not.
“We were having lunch together. We both got the message, but it was only in Lithuanian. He asked me if we should hide somewhere. I told him no, it was a fire at a gas station. But he hasn’t learned Lithuanian yet, even though he lives here legally and pays for his SIM card. He felt a bit left out because he didn’t understand what was happening,” the man said.
He argued that in such cases, especially when people’s safety is at stake, it would be logical for alerts always to be translated into at least English, so that both foreign residents and visiting tourists could understand.
Why only Lithuanian first?
Ernestas Trunovas, head of the Civil Protection Division at the Fire and Rescue Department, explained that the system does provide for alerts in Lithuanian, English and, if necessary, Russian. However, in practice the first message is not always translated.
“If there is time, we translate. But if an incident develops quickly and people must be warned immediately, the first message may be in Lithuanian only. For example, in the recent gas station fire, at least three messages were sent: the first in Lithuanian, later ones in English,” he told LRT.
Ideally, Trunovas said, every alert would be multilingual from the start – but in reality speed is paramount.
“Sometimes the situation requires an instant reaction. Staff may not be available to translate immediately. The regulations therefore allow an exception, permitting the first message to be sent in Lithuanian only.”
He added that foreigners still have options if they receive a Lithuanian-only alert: “People can use their phones – translation apps such as Google Translate – and often others nearby can explain the situation.”
Pressed on whether foreigners would have time to translate themselves or ask others for help in more serious emergencies, Trunovas conceded the system still needs improvement.
“We are moving towards making multilingual alerts more frequent. The National Crisis Management Centre is helping to decide on content and languages,” he said.
Tourists covered too
Questions have also been raised about whether tourists using foreign SIM cards receive the warnings.
“If their phone has the cell broadcast function switched on, they will receive them automatically. Nothing else is needed. If the function is switched off, users must activate it. Instructions are available on our website, in both Lithuanian and English,” Trunovas explained.
He stressed that the most important thing is for people to be aware of these options and to check their phone settings.
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