multilingual groups

[Harrison Owen]

My solution over the years has been what I call the International Bar
Technique (IBT). Doubtless you have had the experience of going into such an
establishment and spying an individual you REALLY wanted to talk to (most
usually of the opposite sex). However, as the fates would have it, you were
separated by that terrible thing, "The Language Barrier." Then in the
natural (self organizing) course of events, passion prevails and barriers
are crossed thanks to friendly strangers, half remembered high school
French, German, whatever. to say nothing of sign language and pantomime.
When people care to communicate the odds are it will happen. And it is very
clear that when people don't care to communicate no amount of simultaneous
translation will do a bit of good. 

 

By definition, people are in Open Space because they care - which means they
will find a way to communicate. And if they don't care, they shouldn't be
there. End of problem. I think my record was 24 languages in a single group.
Everything worked perfect, and at the end people even said that they had fun
finding "Language buddies." A problem became an opportunity.

 

Of course you can make things a little easier by pinning language flags on
folks, rather like the airlines, but I've never found that made too much
difference. By the time people got close enough to see the flag they had
usually figured out the language. 

 

Harrison 

 

Harrison Owen

189 Beaucaire Ave

Camden, ME 04843

207-763-3261 (Summer)

301-365-2093 (Winter)

Website www.openspaceworld.com 

Personal Website www.ho-image.com 

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  _____  

From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of rachel
pfeffer
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 11:47 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: multilingual groups

 

Hi OS Folks: I'm new to the listserv and to OS. 

I'm wondering what your experiences are with groups that are multilingual? 

There are too many sessions to provide translation services....

 

 

Thank you,

Rachel

 


-- 
Rachel Pfeffer, Consulting
New Solutions to Old Problems
rbpfeffer at gmail.com



"Those who say it can't be done are usually interrupted by others doing it."
James Baldwin

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