Language Barriers

By NOLLAIG MURPHY

Development Officer

In recent weeks communities within the Duhallow area have continued with their great work to welcome Ukrainian families into the locality. The collective efforts of people who have donated items, time and skills have been invaluable. One particular area of expertise which has very much come to the fore relates to language support and translation. While several of people arriving from the Ukraine already have good functional standards of English, it has become evident to IRD Duhallow’s support staff working on the ground, that some Ukrainian people will need extra support in this regard. Language barriers, like all barriers to communication, can be frustrating. They require patience, understanding, and conscientiousness to overcome. A few helpful tips that we can all bear in mind when faced with a communication barrier are as follows: • Keep the pace and flow of conversation under review – by not rushing and taking the time to enunciate words clearly, communication may flow better. • If necessary double check and reflect back for clarification - it is important that you check your understanding of what the person you are speaking to has said. This is to ensure that that you are clear that you are aware of the message that they had wanted to convey. Furthermore it is always a good idea to ensure that people have understood what you have said to confirm everyone is completely clear on what has been discussed. • Be specific in what you are saying – where a communication barrier exists it can be more effective to give concise information rather that an overwhelming amount of excess information. • Try to avoid idioms or phrases which may make it more difficult for language to be understood, these phrases may seem common place in day to day conversations, however they may also lead to miscommunication occurring (e.g. ‘go the extra mile’, ‘sit tight’, ‘neither here nor there’ etc.) • Choose a different medium of communication if there is a difficulty– for example if necessary write down the word that is causing the issue, draw a diagram or if an interpreter is available seek their assistance if possible. Also useful are online translation resources, such as Google Translate. This facility is readily accessible to many people due to the widespread availability of smart phones.

Useful greetings in Ukrainian language include:

Вітання Hello! .....Привіт! / privit How are you?.... Як ти? / yak ti? I am well .......... Добре! / dobre!

Some useful pleasantries in the Ukrainian language include:

Please...Будь-ласка / bud’ laska Thank you ..... Дякую / dyakuyu You are welcome........ Прошу / proshu Sorry....................Вибач / vibach No problem .........Без проблем / bez problem

Some useful words when seeking Information:

Why?................. Чому? / chomu When? ................ Коли? / koli Where?................ Де? / de How?.................... Як? / yak What time? ........ О котрій годині? / o kotriy hodini Which? ............ Котрий? / kotriy What? .................. Що? / sho