Mutli-Lingual and non-primary Language Open space

Wed Apr 25 19:13:13 PDT 2007

Welcome, fabulous Kaliya !

I agree that Open Space is possible across cultures and with a rich mixture
of participants with languages different from each other - even different
from the facilitator's.  It is simply a design issue, a discussion and ideas
that happen during the pre-work, and perhaps some extra resources and
support for translation, depending on the needs of the group.

Many of you readers remember my asking a few months ago for experiences from
those of you who had facilitated in multi-language events - I had done this
before as well but for this particular event there was the extra layer of
readers and non-readers and many people who spoke only one language (not the
main conference languages).  

I had promised to write this experience up for you all, my colleagues - the
full paper will appear at my website soon and will include more description
of the event and the other activities we designed.  Here is an excerpt
regarding language and access, from my to-be-on-my-website-in-a-month-or-so
photo-story and paper:

Open Space Conference for Immigrant and Refugee Farmers

In February 2007, two-hundred and sixty participants joined together for
three days rich with learning, networking and knowledge-sharing at the
National Immigrant and Refugee Farming Initiative's (NIFI) historic
Inaugural National Conference for Immigrant and Refugee Farmers.  There were
close to 300 participants, speaking over 17 languages traveling from all
across America to meet and share best practices, challenges, ideas and
solutions for 3 days.  Over 50% of the participants were farmers, many of
who received full funding to attend this conference in Las Cruces, New
Mexico, USA.  The conference was the culmination of months of visioning and
planning between funders, the planning committee, NIFI and Heifer staff and
myself as the conference facilitator.  

While the conference was held in the method of Open Space, we also designed
the entire time participants would spend together in a way that could
maximize intercultural learning, knowledge exchange across language and
culture, an equalization of power dynamics and a welcoming of the rich
diversity in the room.

One of the challenges was that many of the participants were monolingual
non-English speakers.  Languages included Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Hmong,
Vietnamese, Somali Bantu (Maay Maay), Khmer, French, Navajo and others.
Plus, not all of the participants could read written word, even in their
home languages.  So our design for both the Open Space and the other
activities included an emphasis on multiple languages and modalities.

The pre-work was complicated, the design work was challenging, the event and
site kept the core planning and facilitation team on its toes - and, as is
usual - the success of the conference was due to an interdisciplinary,
intercultural, skilled, flexible and energetic team.  Registration was in
two languages (Spanish and English - the two languages spoken by the most
participants) and we knew that those who could not access written language,
English, Spanish or computers would have an advocate working with them to
register for the conference.  So we asked all registrants to pre-identify
what languages they spoke.  We also asked who had laptops to offer and who
would like to spend some or all of their time helping us as notes-takers.
This helped us identify what translation and other support we might need,
what were the top languages spoken, how many computers we could have for the
Newsroom and a sense of being able to 'seed' the room with enough people who
were comfortable writing as notes-takers.  

Spanish, English and Hmong were our top three languages spoken - therefore
NIFI collaborated with the Highlander Center in Tennessee, USA, who held a
training in Maine, USA for a group of farmers serving as peer simultaneous
translators for the conference.  To that we added a few professional
translators from Professional Translation Interpretation Services in North
Carolina, USA.  We had multi-channel translation headsets for about 40
people, I believe.  Then, as we had asked in advance about languages
participants spoke, we pre-labeled every participant's conference badge with
color-coded dots indicating which languages they spoke - and we gave them
extra dots to fill out and apply to their own badges to add additional
languages they spoke.  This would help is with 'whisper translation' -
people being able to sit together to translate for each other.  It was
important that we support participant self-organization for translation as
well as offer professional support.  The professional and peer translators
wore strips of color fabric coded to match the dots on everyone's badges.
If a translator spoke more than one language, she would have several strips
of fabric - they wore these as neck ornaments, arm-bands - whatever fit
their personal style.  In this way, you could find someone to help you
wherever you were in the conference.

Then there was the challenge of how to design for a switch from the
conference host and the facilitator speaking to the full group (welcome,
explanation of the Open Space process and guidelines) -- to the voices of
the participants themselves coming to the center and announcing their
topics.  So we started with those who needed it on headset (Spanish, Hmong
and Maay Maay listeners - others sat next to friends and peer translators
for whisper translation).  Participants wishing to announce and host a
session would walk up to one of two long tables (one in each of two aisles
in the circle) and write their topic and name on the top half of an 11 x 17"
piece of paper.  A multi-lingual person sitting at that table would help
them if they could not write and would also add another language translation
onto that sign (ideally in one of our three top languages) in another color.
The convenor would then walk to the center where they would stand at a
microphone to announce their topic.  After I had invited convenors to
announce and post their sessions, I joined a group of translators seated
near the microphone in the center. We had a cordless microphone to pass
amongst ourselves.  As this convenor would announce their session (in their
own voice; their own language) we would pass the microphone to each other to
translate immediately after them into the top 3 languages.  Then the
convenor posted their sign on the Agenda Wall and so continued the Agenda
co-creation process.

As usual when working in a multi-language environment -- when I speak, I
enunciate, choose universally understandable vocabulary (no vernacular, no
'Americanisms', and for this conference, no 'agriculture-speak', either),
and put air between each of my words: I speak slowly and carefully.  I pause
between each sentence, and I use my body and my face to express the words,
as well.  I have found that all of this gives time for translators to
translate, helps people who speak multiple languages translate in their
heads, and gives people more of a chance to sense and understand what is
being said.  My Open Space signs are always in multiple languages, whether
my participant group speaks one language or more - as a way to welcome and
include people and also to share an awareness of the richness of working in
a multicultural world.  In this case the signs were in Spanish and English.
There is no universally-used written Hmong language at this time.

After returning to headset (for some) for my explaining the schedule for the
day, the group broke into discussion areas and conducted their conversations
throughout the day using whisper, peer or professional translators as
needed.

Topics included a wide range of subjects: beekeeping and pollination, how to
apply for funding, engaging high school youth, organic pest control, growing
mushrooms, abuse of immigrants, disaster response, organic corn for masa,
organic crop development, growing ethnic crops, farming in an arid
environment, building greenhouses out of found resources, and more.

Notes-takers self-selected for all the groups, though we knew we had seeded
this thought of note-taking before the conference -- so those who were
multi-lingual and able to write easily simply supported each group by
notes-taking on paper notes-taker forms (with English and Spanish both on
the form).  Throughout the day they would transcribe their notes at the bank
of computers in the Newsroom; most of which had been loaned by participants
themselves.  If they had taken notes in a language besides English they
would sit with a colleague to translate before entering them into the Book
of Proceedings -- as our first edition of the Book would be in English and
then we would have the book translated into several other languages next,
thanks to the funders.  Note that this was not an event in which we created
the Book for viewing during the event - we finalized and distributed it
post-event, translated it into other languages and also will be providing
photos and video for non-readers to review the event.  Some groups are also
gathering post event to tell the stories of the event to each other and to
their communities as a way of sharing the news with non-readers.

And so it went for 2.5 days, with Evening News happening much like the
openings each day - with some folks on headset and others sitting next to
peers for whisper translation.  For Closing Circle we allowed 2 hours - as
in many of these cultures speakers use more words to frame their experiences
and tell of their experiences through telling stories or returning to themes
while they speak.  We ensured that all who remained for the closing (some
had to fly away home before then) got a chance to speak if they wished to.
As is usual, I scribed their closing comments on my laptop to include in
their Book of Proceedings (participants would translate after their peers as
needed during this time).  

_____________________ 

The complete paper, including a description of the other activities we
designed for the evenings of this conference, will appear at my website
soon, along with a video and a photo-story.  I shall let you know when to
visit to see these.

Peggy - thank you for mining the archives for some rich examples of learning
from our fellow OpenSpaceniks.  

I look forward to the richness you bring to our community, Kaliya,

Lisa

___________________________

L i s a   H e f t

Consultant, Facilitator, Educator

O p e n i n g  S p a c e

 <mailto:lisaheft at openingspace.net> lisaheft at openingspace.net

 <http://www.openingspace.net> www.openingspace.net 

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