Multilingual gatherings

[Ria Baeck]

This was the question raised on the AoH emaillist:
I am wondering if anyone has affordable success with multilingual gatherings. I am working with a community of immigrants from Somalia, Bosnia, Mexico and third generation Europeans.
Peace,
Dawn Ellison, MD

And here some of the answers:

Hi Dawn,
Mostly with bilingual gatherings. not sure what you mean by affordable success - wondering if that refers to translation services. It gets hard when you have to print materials off in many languages - so that might be a cost.
On translation in the event, we have relied with great success on people who are fairly fluent in English to provide translation. My main experience is in Brazil where the trainings take place in Portuguese, those of us who don't speak Portuguese - when we speak it is translated for the whole and the rest of the time we receive whispered translation from people who voluntarily step into that role. It might be harder to do something like that with multiple languages requiring translation.
Kathy

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Hi Dawn,
We've done a lot of work with bi-/multi-lingual conversations, especially consultations social policy or programs. We often use translators - including Auslan for deaf people and "Compic" for people with intellectual disabilities (we do quite a bit in the disability space). We would rarely rely on "informal" translators for formal consultations but use them for other occasions.
The main impact is that it takes longer, so you need to allow for the extra time in the design. It is possible to separate people into language groups but there are obvious pros and cons with that. In terms of affordability it is sometime possible to get volunteer translators. Also trust in the energetic forces that allow good will to overcome language barriers. Only around 5-7% of communication is words.
Kind regards
Stephen

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From experience with large group conflict facilitation (not AoH) with volunteer-participant-translators, use of bi/multiple languages slows down the process - to reinforce what Stephen pointed out.
Would be sensitive to, address/support/attend if needed:

1) Space and rhythm to enable translation to take place: - it can be an exhausting task for translators (tag team is great) - Added time to clarify or facilitate issues brought up by what was lost or changed through translation - Awareness to frustration of presenter or subject matter expert speaker as may have to go much slower than anticipated and not being able to cover all they wanted to (sometimes a great thing!)

2) Openness to other channels of communication (deep democracy) not just words, like music, movement, sentient, etc. and be sensitive that in the process some people who are strong in verbal communication may suddenly feel awkward, while some others may rejoice for not being oppressed by "words" anymore. Immigrants may be more sensitive to non verbal as they have to use it constantly to make sense of their environment not able to rely solely on host country language.

3) Language has potential to pick up role for larger issues around the topic in focus and/or people involved --> Beyond words and translation - Dealing with immigrants, translation may bring frustration from people from native country receiving the immigrant due to political/social view. A voice in a USA meeting could be: "If they are immigrant in the USA, they should speak English and I do not understand why we need to translate" - Awareness to insider-outsider dynamic: Insider = "the one who knows/learns directly [because hears the language]" and Outsider = "the one who depends on someone else to know/learn" --> issue of independence / dependence, empowered / disempowered - If the main language used is seen as oppressing, the language of people in power oppressing the minority, or simply the official language used for all forms and interaction with the establishment on which your future depends forcing your dependence on a translator and difficult experiences, then main/official language has potential to be oppressive/humiliating/terrorizing if used without awareness

Jean-Luc

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Dear all,
What a great question, and I think we will need more of creative solutions for this in the future.

I will start with the affordable solution from my context: In the European Commission we have colleagues who are more (comfort)able to use either English or French as a common foreign language. So what we did for teambuilding events, where we knew this was the case, and otherwise would exclude some important content from emerging, we work like this:

Framing welcome and and framing of for example world cafe is done in both languages in the plenary.
The world cafe question we formulated with lots of care in both languages, as well as the cafe etiquette (just to note a lot is available already translated on the world cafe website, ready to print out). Then there are simply tables in both languages, and people rotate accordingly. If it is a large group, some color code can help, if it is small, and there are not enough tables to form separate language tables, and allow for healthy weaving at the same time, then some interpretation help of colleagues at the tables is being done.

On a larger scale we worked with six languages for a two day stake holder conference. Because of the expectations of the member state participants from 27 countries and the budget available, we had interpreters. Maybe you can get some voluntary interpretation support for this?
How we worked there:
The welcome framing and framing into the participatory sessions (work in triads, world cafe, open space, collective harvest) was interpreted into the other languages using professional interpretation equipment, using interpretation cabins and headphones for all. So many could speak in his/her language, and everybody else could listen to one of the other five languages offered. That was for the plenary. For the smaller group sessions those same interpreters were available for those who needed help being interpreted int the group. That worked out number wise quite well, some people also had support from colleagues willing to helping them out.

We were ourselves surprised how well this had worked. We took some time to instruct the interpreters of the processes we were using, and they were quite enthusiastic. Of course this technical interpretation equipment was quite useful for a group of 230 people. If you do not have the possibility to have that sponsored, some of the creative solutions mentioned already in this thread can be used.

Either after the first language for all, which might be useful for the set up of the right container, the interpretation then of that happens simultaneously in the language groups, or everyone has to simply listen to the repetition of the words in the other three languages. The beauty of that would be that people would not sit together per country of origin. However in our case they did anyway in the beginning, and when the weaving started, the language support at the tables started in a self organized way.

Hope this helps, and lots of success!
Ursula Hillbrand
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Hi all,
Our AoH related events in Japan usually have one or more foreign hosts. Japanese is the language of the event and our foreign hosts have limited or no Japanese. So, we always use translators. Sometimes when we are working in the same room (circle, WC, pairs, etc.) two host have "shared" one translator, using an inexpensive remote broadcasting system so the two hosts don't have to be in the same place in the room. Under these conditions we've relied on volunteer hosts paired with the most Japanese fluent host when we're doing group work.
Ideally we have 2 translators for every three non-Japanese speakers.

There's ample room for mis-interpertation when going from AoH language to English to Japanese! We spend a lot of time figuring out the meaning of words -- which is both interesting and occasionally annoying! And, of course, translation takes more time! In our events, people are extremely good-hearted and the translation difficulties are just accepted.

I'm reminded, from time to time, the great courtesy afforded those of us who are English speakers. Recently I was part of a team for the art of participatory leadership in Zimbabwe, which we hosted in English. We were in open space and I joined a group already in conversation. They were speaking Shona -- dominate indigenous language -- until I got there, then they switched to English.

Perhaps in part because they had been speaking Shona, it was difficult for several in the group to make the change to English. Invited them to continue in Shona, and summarize for me from time to time. It made me realize that if Marianne and Simone and I weren't there, they probably would have been speaking Shona the whole time -- understanding each other better and going deeper and that they accorded us the great courtesy of speaking mostly in their second language -- English.

One last thought. I believe AoH cultivates another language which I call "the language of listening." When we emphasize this language, the others tend to follow…
Cheers,
Bob
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Dawn…I am in this right now with an extensive project in the United States running World Cafes with immigrant and refugee communities. We have this exact challenge, including these exact cultural groups, among others! We are working in World Cafe.

We have found that initially we brought in participants who could act as interpreters, but that wasn't practical. They often did a poor job facilitating two way communication as they were intent on participating themselves. Also, in some cultures, it is not practical for example to have a woman interpreting for a man, and that power dynamic is important. We have decided that specialized interpretation is required and we are trying to secure the resources that we can to enable that to happen.

In previous designs (including work I did with Tenneson and others) we have created tables in a Cafe that were designated for a particular language. If you wanted to participate there, you needed to be able to function in that language. That didn't restrict bi- or multi-lingual people from participating elsewhere, but it provided a relaxing harbour for people to speak in their first language. It is very difficult to spend a shoe day in dialogue in a language that isn't your first one.

For some reason with the current project, there is resistance to this idea, feeling that the separation limits the mutual benefit. However I continue to point out that we both hoping people will learn from each other across cultures AND we hope that people will be able to contribute to the best of their abilities on the questions that are in front of us.

If you'd like to talk more about this, a Skype next week would be great. Perhaps a few of us could sign on.
Chris
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Chris,
your design of seperate tables sounds attractive. It is indeed relaxing to have opportunity to speak creatively and heartfully in one's mother tongue; and it allows for more flow. It sounds like the seperation in that design actually does benefit the whole.

Perhaps one of the special language "sites" can be assigned a specialized translator, familiar with both language and the cultural nuances, to stand beside a person (selected by that group to deliver their comments to the "whole") let the person speak and then translate to the whole group?

I suggest that because in my experience it is very powerful to see and hear the mother tongue and the body language that goes with it...as well as hear the translation. You mention there is resistance to that design. Perhaps what people are resistant to missing is the direct contact with the language and culture through speech and body language.

Actually, I have learned more, at times, from seeing and hearing someone speak in their mother tongue than from hearing the words they said translated into English! So a combination of that can be very beautiful.

Wishing you and Dawn success in these important and timely gatherings.
Rose
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Once, when visiting a friend at Hopi I was speaking english at breakfast. One of the relatives came into the room behind me and said, "Who is speaking English so early in the morning!?" I found that delightful and it gave me some insight into where people "take" their English, which at Hopi, like many places (including New Mexico where I live) was an "enforced language" = this family. at least among the older persons, use English in the marketplace...its the language for doing business with the mainstream culture!
Rose

[Ria Baeck]

I am a bit late contributing to this thread. I live in Canada and have been involved in several bilingual (French-English) AoH sessions. Simultaneous interpretation (with booths and equipment) works well in plenary sessions. For World Cafés, we have set things up as described by Chris.
We have some tables designated French, some English, and some Bilingual - bilingual is defined as being able to understand enough of both languages so that everyone at the table can speak in whichever language they are most comfortable speaking. We find that if you define bilingual this way, many people identify themselves as bilingual and it allows exchange across language divides.
For Open Space, we invite those who suggest topics to identify whether the open space will be English, French or Bilingual. When we have simultaneous interpreters, it is usually only one team of interpreters, so we designate the room with the equipment as a space for Open Space discussion and, again, whoever wants that space for their open space discussion can ask for it when the open space agenda is being created. When we use simultaneous interpretation, it is best to use cordless microphones - more expensive to rent but so much better. In circle, the microphone is often the talking stick. We encourage visual reports from groups so they can be understood by all participants.
Morna