Migration to Asia Peace (MAP) is launching its Peace Academy this year to build the skills and knowledge of refugee activists and support practitioners. For the very first session, we are delighted to welcome researcher Yu Na-ri, who studies social-service access for immigrants and refugees, to explore the language barriers that arise in refugee support work and the practical ways to overcome them.

Session Overview

ItemDetails
TitleBreaking Through Language Barriers: Language Access and Technology in Refugee Support
SpeakerYu Na-ri (Research on social-service access for immigrants and refugees)
Date & TimeThursday, 21 December, 4:00-6:00 PM
FormatOnline via Zoom
LanguageKorean
Registration DeadlineTuesday, 19 December, 6:00 PM

Zoom link: Once you register, we will send the Zoom link to your contact details on Wednesday, 20 December, the day before the session.

Who Should Attend

Anyone who provides, or is interested in providing, services to refugees facing language barriers is warmly welcome, including:

  • Social workers
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Non-profit organisation staff
  • Practitioners in social services, mental health services, and health services

Programme Structure

Lecture: The US CLAS Standards, What Does “Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Service” Mean?

The National CLAS Standards (thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov), issued by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are national guidelines that help healthcare and social-service organisations provide appropriate services to people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In this lecture we will look at those standards together, discuss why language access matters so much in refugee support, and introduce practical ways to make it a reality.

Training 1: Improving Language Access in Online and Digital Materials

Reference: Improving Access to Public Websites and Digital Services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons (US LEP.gov, PDF)

This session covers practical ways to make websites and digital services easier to use for people with limited proficiency in the dominant language.

Training 2: Working with Interpreters & Using Technology to Overcome Language Barriers

This session covers two closely related topics.

Working with Interpreters

  • What to keep in mind when working alongside an interpreter
  • The role and limitations of interpreters
  • Conflicts that can arise during the support process, and how to handle them
  • Reference: Rethinking Interpreter Functions in Mental Health Services, a study revisiting the interpreter’s role in mental health service delivery

Using Technology Tools

We will look at the following tools from a practical standpoint, covering how to use them as well as their strengths and limitations:

  • Tarjimly app (tarjimly.org): an app that connects refugees and migrants with volunteer interpreters in real time
  • Google Translate / Papago / DeepL: machine-translation tools widely used in the field
  • Zoom live interpretation feature: simultaneous interpretation available during online consultations and meetings

A Word of Caution, The Risks of AI Translation

Over-relying on AI translation tools can lead to serious errors, especially in refugee status determination and legal proceedings. For more on this, see The Guardian’s article: “Lost in AI translation: growing reliance on language apps jeopardizes some asylum applications”.

How to Register

  • Deadline: Tuesday, 19 December, 6:00 PM (please register by the deadline so we can confirm attendance numbers accurately)
  • After registering, you will receive the Zoom link on Wednesday, 20 December, sent to the contact details you provided.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the session, please get in touch:

  • Phone: 02-2038-0231 (MAP, Migration to Asia Peace)
  • Phone: 010-5381-0850