Bereitschaft zur mehrsprachigen Krisenkommunikation in der Covid-19-Pandemie: Digitale Behördenkommunikation in Finnland und Deutschland

This article examines multilingual crisis communication during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in Finland and Germany, with a focus on digital communication of authorities. The study assesses the capabilities of both countries to manage online crisis communication in multiple languages. In Finland, the analysis centers on the national organisation Terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin laitos (Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare) and the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, which have significant foreign-lan-
guage-speaking populations. In Germany, the primary entities analysed include the federal centre that co-ordinates health information (Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung), the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration (Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Migration, Flüchtlinge und Integration) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The activities of Düsseldorf, Cologne and Dortmund at the beginning of the crisis are also briefly examined. The information available on the website of the authorities is analysed based on communication guidelines, communication plans, studies and reports. The study identifies an uneven ability of public authorities in both countries to respond timely to crises in multiple languages.