[OSList] Bi-lingual open space

[Lisa Heft]

Hi, Chuni -

I have done a lot of multi-lingual (and also bi-lingual) Open Space  
events.
I am guessing that others who have done this have other 'lessons  
learned' to add to your thinking - this is what I have learned.

Get some tea everybody - it is a long message.

To me:  It starts from the design of registration and invitation  
materials, the information you ask in registration to assess your  
language needs / resources / capacities, and also assess your  
documentation capacity, language-wise.

It continues with ongoing relationship-building for invitation and  
invitation strategy - in the language, settings and cultural ways  
different-language cultures communicate. Multiple ways and messages  
for different kinds of participants, if you can.

It continues with a thorough analysis of what the sound, visuals,  
signage and dynamics specific to Open Space are like - and then  
designing language access specifically to that:

Opening Circle / Agenda Co-Creation:
- everybody in a circle, all listening quietly - if only 2 languages  
are your main languages you have options to give the second-language  
speakers headsets and a simultaneous translator for this section
- if you do decide to use headsets - make sure they all come from the  
same provider. Mixing kinds often does not work.
- or someone who is out there in front of the group with the  
facilitator can translate after the facilitator speaks each line  
slowly - and expressively - pausing in between - into the second  
language used

Participants coming to the center, making signs, announcing topics:
- you have the option to have each participant come instead to one or  
more sign-making tables at which there sit two helpers - each helper  
is fully bilingual - one native speaker for each language used.
- if the participant can write, they write their own topic sign in  
their own language on the top have of (for example) an 11"x17" piece  
of paper (you could fold all papers in 1/2 to show top and bottom).
- the helper who speaks the *other* language writes the translation of  
that topic *in another color marker". This creates a bilingual sign  
quickly that people can see their preferred language on fairly easily.
- If the participant cannot write, they simply tell their topic to the  
helper at the sign-making table who writes it for them in both  
languages / 2 colors.

Then the participant walks up to the microphone in the center. There  
can be two fully bilingual helpers sitting by the microphone, there in  
the center (or outside ring or wherever people are announcing from).
- Participant says their topic in their home language. Helper who  
speaks the other of the 2 languages takes the mic and says the  
translation. And off the participant goes to post their topic sign on  
the wall.
Principles, Law, Notes-Taker Forms, Participant Sign-in Sheets for  
discussion areas, everything: In the 2 languages.

Then everyone is talking at once all around the room for the sessions.
- In your registration, you have asked participants to indicate their  
first and second language, fluency, etc. So you know your language  
needs from that.
- Their badges come pre-marked with a color dot - for example: green  
for Spanish speakers, Red for English speakers, a green and a red dot  
for bilingual speakers
- Even with roving translators this dot system usually helps people  
help each other with 'whisper translation'.
- If you have capacity you can also have roving translators - identify  
them with the same color scheme, clearly visible (like a piece of  
fabric around their neck / arm-band / etc.) - Green and Red
The participants may use them, or they may wave them away, doing fine  
for themselves.

Then there is notes-taking.
- In your registration materials you can also ask who has a laptop to  
bring for mutual use, who can help by taking notes when they can, and  
so on. In the text that says this you explain that bilingual notes- 
takers will be a welcome support to increase knowledge-sharing across  
culture and language.
You don't formally give people these roles - you are just 'seeding'  
the field and inviting this capacity.
At the Newsroom you can ask everyone who can to transcribe their final  
notes in (let us say) English. For your English version of the Book of  
Proceedings. Even if not everyone can do that, you will have less to  
translate post-event because some of them will be able to do this.

You will want to pre-think whether the client has the capacity to  
translate the full Book of Proceedings into Spanish. And if not - how  
the Spanish-speakers who do not read English can receive the  
information post-event.
On your registration materials you can include questions for them to  
mark such as 'can you receive a pdf file' or some other language to  
see who has access to an electronic version, and who needs hard-copy.

I have had clients make sure (all of this - all of the above - is  
discussed and worked out in the pre-work phase) - that there are pre- 
set times and locations where some of their participants who cannot  
read or speak the main languages can come together again in small  
groups - with a representative who is bilingual who can read and talk  
through the Book of Proceedings with them in a talking circle, over  
several meetings, for group discussion. Or match them with an advocate  
in their region who can sit with them to read together as a duo.  
Again: assessing capacity and providing for universal access.

Closing Circle:
- Again this is everyone sitting quietly so you can do what you did in  
Opening Circle: either headsets, or a bilingual translator. It will  
take double the time if you have to repeat everything everyone says  
all around the circle in 2 languages. But by this time often people  
are sitting with each other and can do 'whisper translation' for each  
other - and you can ask them to sit in the Closing Circle this way if  
you need to. To scribe these closing comments - to add this reflection  
to the Book of Proceedings - you will also need a fully bilingual  
helper or two.

There are also cultural elements of food, music, welcoming, access to  
transport, child care, use of universal / non-academic language, and  
many other things which can further equalize access to information and  
inclusion in a mixed-language setting. If you have people on your core  
planning team who are of these mixed cultures, classes and languages,  
you will have some passionate people who can help think through and  
strategize this as you explain to them the Open Space dynamics,  
actions and needs they are not yet familiar with.

A deep bow to Heifer International's National Immigrant Refugee  
Farmers Initiative - who worked tirelessly with me through the  
challenging design and pre-work for a many-language, most-amazing  
immigrant and refugee farming conference that I facilitated in Open  
Space.

Lisa

PS I will be showing some photos of this conference plus their Book of  
Proceedings at my upcoming Open Space Learning Workshop - May 16-18 in  
San Francisco. Maybe you can join us... !

Lisa Heft
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
President Emerita, Open Space Institute US
Fellow, Columbia University Center for International Conflict Resolution
Opening Space
lisaheft at openingspace.net

>
>
> On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 9:29 PM, <chunili2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello All,
>
> I am working on a state-wide initiative to bring people together to  
> address "How Can Creativity and Innovation Revitalize New Jersey."
> One of the communities we are planning an open space for has a large  
> Spanish speaking population. To host an inclusive event, we very  
> much want to include these people who don't speak English.
> Does anyone have experience organizing a bi-lingual open space?
> Did you use a translator? Did you repeat everything in both  
> languages? How did you handle the break-out discussions?
>
> Thank you so much for sharing!
>
> Chuni Li
> New Jersey
  
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