Multi-language OS help

[Herrmann, Thomas]

Hi Betty!
Thanks for sharing your questions. I also found answers to questions I work
with right now, from your mail. I'm having a dialouge with an organization
to open space (community developement in a very segregated part of
Gothenburg where lots of different minorities live). Inviting the lot, which
implies that many spoken languages will be used. Swedish is a predominant
language more or less known to most. I would greatly appreciate
experiences/stories from anyone!!
Betty, I made a few comments to your questions. Please share your
experiences/questions further on!


> I am preparing to do an OS for about 200 - 250 people in Belgium at the
end
> of April.
> As last year, each sheet will have a number as well as their title and
> brief description. People in the audience will make notes, using the
> numbers of the discussions they are interested in signing up for if they
> cannot read the sheet.
I guess you considered translating the title on each sheet, it might be hard
since there is no predominant language.

> When attending a session, each person will have to find their own
> translators if the  session is in a language they do not understand.
> (everyone has name tags marked with the languages they speak well enough
to
> help.) Taking this self-responsibility was only moderately successful last
year
> because everyone wanted to participate and it was tricky to find someone
> willing to give up their own session of interest to go to another group to
> translate for someone. Any suggestions how the translation issue could be
improved?
Could you somehow make explicit the languages spoken/willingness to
translate by those who signed up for a session? Those must be the main
source for translation?

> Questions #2
> Any thoughts about how to better share the rich contributions in the
> sessions with the whole group?
I think the reports should be shared to the whole group, if not possible at
site, sent as soon as possible afterwards. Maybe an option could be to put
them on a website in a few different languages. Guess the cost will be quite
high...
Thomas Herrmann, Kungsbacka, Sweden