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<DIV><FONT size=2>Thought you might enjoy Harrison's response to the
multi-language question.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>Peg</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><B>-----Original Message-----</B><BR><B>From:
</B>owen <<A href="mailto:owen@tmn.com">owen@tmn.com</A>><BR><B>To: </B><A
href="mailto:edeb@pacbell.net">edeb@pacbell.net</A> <<A
href="mailto:edeb@pacbell.net">edeb@pacbell.net</A>><BR><B>Cc: </B>Holman,
Peggy <<A
href="mailto:pholman@email.msn.com">pholman@email.msn.com</A>><BR><B>Date:
</B>Wednesday, September 09, 1998 11:13 AM<BR><B>Subject: </B>Multi-Language
Open space<BR><BR></DIV></FONT>Peg Holamn forwared your question about language.
I once did an open space with 17 different languages, no simultaneous tranlation
and no problems. Secret is what i call "The International Bar
Approach" At any good bar, if you want to talk to someone, someone else is
surely about who can translate. So in Open Space the conveners of a session
write the title of that session in the language they propose to operate in. They
then provide a translation in some other "basic" language (English or
French will usually work). So when a person goes to the wall to make a choice,
they know what language will be spoken, and if that is not a comfortable
language for them they will have to bring a "language buddy." I find
that language buddies build community... so rather than being a bother, they
actually add to the whole affair. One thing not to do is make any effort to
provide simultaneous translation in the groups. Total waste of time, and it is
much too slow. I would even wonder about translantion in the opening session.
After all this is not rocket science. I once did an ost in latin america... we
had minimal translation and no problem. The whole thing is so intuitive, once it
starts everybody pretty much knows what to do. Relax... it works. h.<BR><?center>Harrison Owen<BR>7808 River Falls Drive<BR>Potomac, MD
20854<BR>USA<BR>301-469-9269 (phone)<BR>301-983-9314 (fax)<BR>email <A
href="mailto:owen@tmn.com">owen@tmn.com<?/center></A></BODY></HTML>