[STORY FROM PARTICIPANTS] Recently, I accompanied a friend to a police station. He doesn’t speak French, and he had been asked to find an interpreter. He wanted to file a complaint for a case of fraud. In translating, the techniques and methods learned during the community interpreting course taught by Dr. Foteini as part of the PLOUTOS project were immensely helpful. This training has been instrumental for many of us (participants from 6 European countries) in learning how to interpret while remaining faithful to the words heard.
My friend has been living in Belgium for almost 3 years, but it’s only now that I understand the extent of the difficulties he must have faced during these years. How did he manage administrative, financial, or even medical procedures if the person facing him didn’t speak the same language? When a Third-Country National arrives in a host country without mastering the local language, they encounter enormous challenges in integrating properly.
ON PLOUTOS: By training a cohort of more than twenty persons in community interpreting, the project aims to empower them to serve as conduits of communication, bridging the gap and enabling them to assist TCNs in facing situations like that of my friend. This innovative approach not only facilitates access to essential services but also fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion within the host community. Through the lens of community interpreting, it seeks to cultivate a more inclusive society where every voice is heard and understood.