1 00:00:07,036 --> 00:00:08,073 Hi everyone! 2 00:00:08,446 --> 00:00:12,675 Welcome to "Globalization, Education, and Localization: 3 00:00:12,675 --> 00:00:16,413 How a little bit of language can go a long way at work." 4 00:00:16,770 --> 00:00:19,434 My name is Stephanie Horn and I'm excited 5 00:00:19,434 --> 00:00:23,722 to be presenting today from my home in New-York, in the United States, 6 00:00:23,722 --> 00:00:26,204 which is actually nowhere near New-York City. 7 00:00:26,655 --> 00:00:29,038 This is my second time at the Gathering, 8 00:00:29,038 --> 00:00:31,378 I actually wanted to... 9 00:00:31,378 --> 00:00:33,237 I've wanted to go for years, 10 00:00:33,539 --> 00:00:36,856 but I've been a teacher and it's right around final exam time 11 00:00:36,856 --> 00:00:39,013 so not really time to travel, so 12 00:00:39,564 --> 00:00:41,852 I was able to attend virtually last year, 13 00:00:41,852 --> 00:00:44,918 and you know, hopefully I'll be able to come in person someday. 14 00:00:46,638 --> 00:00:50,269 So the title is definitely a cute rhyme, 15 00:00:50,269 --> 00:00:52,720 but it's also the structure of the presentation, 16 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,568 so, let's break down what each part means. 17 00:00:57,640 --> 00:01:00,038 The first part is "Globalization", 18 00:01:00,038 --> 00:01:04,420 and we often use this word when talking about international companies, 19 00:01:04,420 --> 00:01:06,438 and international influences. 20 00:01:06,438 --> 00:01:08,817 I went to business school to study accounting 21 00:01:08,817 --> 00:01:12,730 and my professors would always talk about the world getting smaller, 22 00:01:12,730 --> 00:01:16,198 which means that you know, with the Internet, the ability to travel, 23 00:01:16,198 --> 00:01:20,582 and disposable income, people can now access more parts of the world 24 00:01:20,582 --> 00:01:22,632 than they could even a few decades ago. 25 00:01:23,515 --> 00:01:26,913 With access to the world, comes access to language, cultures, 26 00:01:26,913 --> 00:01:30,064 and sometimes more jobs or business opportunities. 27 00:01:30,315 --> 00:01:32,991 So under this umbrella of globalization, 28 00:01:32,991 --> 00:01:35,846 I will talk about my experiences trying out languages 29 00:01:35,846 --> 00:01:38,974 with colleagues and clients who are from all over the world. 30 00:01:40,341 --> 00:01:41,956 Next is "Education". 31 00:01:42,139 --> 00:01:44,990 As I mentionned at the beginning, I used to be a teacher. 32 00:01:44,990 --> 00:01:48,255 I taught English to speakers of other languages for seven years 33 00:01:48,255 --> 00:01:50,902 in the United States and in a few other countries, 34 00:01:50,902 --> 00:01:53,724 and the interesting thing about teaching 35 00:01:53,724 --> 00:01:56,407 your native language in your native country 36 00:01:56,407 --> 00:01:59,617 is that you often end up with students from all over the world, 37 00:01:59,617 --> 00:02:02,708 with multiple languages spoken in the classroom, and many of which 38 00:02:02,708 --> 00:02:04,353 you don't even know yourself. 39 00:02:04,518 --> 00:02:09,792 So I'll explain how I navigated some of these multilingual challenges as a teacher 40 00:02:09,792 --> 00:02:11,926 in this education segment. 41 00:02:12,993 --> 00:02:14,807 Then, we have "Localization". 42 00:02:15,474 --> 00:02:20,274 "Localization" is a term used for adapting products or services to different regions. 43 00:02:20,503 --> 00:02:23,808 And this often means translating into the local language, 44 00:02:23,808 --> 00:02:26,807 or adjusting for cultural norms and expectations. 45 00:02:27,874 --> 00:02:30,924 I'm currently project manager in the translation industry, 46 00:02:30,924 --> 00:02:35,040 and I very often work with languages that I can't read or write, 47 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,807 so I'll explain how all of that works in localization. 48 00:02:40,107 --> 00:02:42,356 And then, the final part of the title is 49 00:02:42,356 --> 00:02:45,507 "How a little bit of language can go a long way at work." 50 00:02:45,805 --> 00:02:48,289 And so, that's kind of trying to answer the question 51 00:02:48,289 --> 00:02:52,607 "How can I use basic language skills to benefit myself and others?" 52 00:02:53,008 --> 00:02:54,841 And that keyword is "basic", 53 00:02:54,841 --> 00:02:58,911 which I guess we could say is like A1 or A2 in the common european framework. 54 00:02:58,911 --> 00:03:01,835 So knowing a bit of vocabulary, being able to 55 00:03:01,835 --> 00:03:04,524 hold a small conversation, things like that. 56 00:03:05,350 --> 00:03:08,433 There's definitvely lots of different schools of thought 57 00:03:08,433 --> 00:03:10,301 in the language learning community, 58 00:03:10,301 --> 00:03:12,992 about what it really means to know a language, 59 00:03:12,992 --> 00:03:15,339 or when knowledge can be considered useful, 60 00:03:15,339 --> 00:03:18,267 and, you know I'm not trying to argue that 61 00:03:18,267 --> 00:03:21,834 being able to say "sziasztok" means that you're fluent in Hungarian, 62 00:03:21,834 --> 00:03:24,482 but I do think that any amount of knowledge 63 00:03:24,482 --> 00:03:26,707 can be useful in the right context. 64 00:03:27,151 --> 00:03:29,874 So in short, I'll be explaining how I've been able 65 00:03:29,874 --> 00:03:32,824 to use basic language skills to make a difference 66 00:03:32,824 --> 00:03:36,556 in different multicultural and multilingual worplaces, 67 00:03:36,556 --> 00:03:38,640 and how you might be able to as well. 68 00:03:39,881 --> 00:03:43,394 So let's talk first about this term "Imposter Syndrome". 69 00:03:43,394 --> 00:03:46,290 It's probably something that many of us can relate to. 70 00:03:46,820 --> 00:03:49,176 So Imposter Syndrome is doubting your abilities 71 00:03:49,176 --> 00:03:51,740 or thinking you're not good enough, 72 00:03:51,740 --> 00:03:53,539 or that you don't deserve your accomplishments. 73 00:03:53,874 --> 00:03:56,453 I see this all the time, and experience it myself, 74 00:03:57,143 --> 00:03:59,315 people write a gramatically perfect post, 75 00:03:59,315 --> 00:04:02,119 and then end it with, you know, "Sorry for my bad English!" 76 00:04:02,119 --> 00:04:05,603 or they scored a C1at a language exam, and like, 77 00:04:05,603 --> 00:04:08,845 "Oh, must have just been a lucky day, because my Dutch is terrible!" 78 00:04:08,845 --> 00:04:10,724 or, you know, 79 00:04:10,724 --> 00:04:13,128 "Oh, well I speak three languages but you know, 80 00:04:13,128 --> 00:04:16,229 it's not that big of a deal, because this person speaks five!" 81 00:04:16,489 --> 00:04:17,882 It's great to be humble, 82 00:04:17,882 --> 00:04:20,255 and recognize that you have more to learn, 83 00:04:20,255 --> 00:04:23,962 but being too humble can actually be detrimental 84 00:04:23,962 --> 00:04:26,195 to your motivation and success. 85 00:04:27,303 --> 00:04:29,833 So what can we do to stop feeling 86 00:04:29,833 --> 00:04:31,646 like our skills are not good enough? 87 00:04:31,845 --> 00:04:33,504 It's really about your mindset. 88 00:04:33,624 --> 00:04:36,312 Start by setting small realistic checkpoints 89 00:04:36,312 --> 00:04:37,858 on the way to your end goal, 90 00:04:37,858 --> 00:04:39,508 and celebrate when you reach them! 91 00:04:39,938 --> 00:04:42,228 I studied abroad in Hungary many years ago 92 00:04:42,228 --> 00:04:44,299 and my goal was to be able to have 93 00:04:44,299 --> 00:04:46,456 a conversation with my friends in hungarian 94 00:04:46,456 --> 00:04:47,557 by the time I left. 95 00:04:48,190 --> 00:04:50,850 Some of my goals along the way included 96 00:04:50,850 --> 00:04:52,885 buying a bus ticket without anyone translating for me, 97 00:04:52,885 --> 00:04:55,203 or asking a stranger for directions 98 00:04:55,203 --> 00:04:57,610 and understanding the response. 99 00:04:57,393 --> 00:04:59,978 And each time I did something like that, 100 00:04:59,978 --> 00:05:02,700 I just had to remind myself that you know, 101 00:05:02,700 --> 00:05:03,603 "I couldn't do this yesterday, 102 00:05:03,603 --> 00:05:05,564 so it's awesome that I can do it today!" 103 00:05:05,592 --> 00:05:07,873 And just, you know, celebrating that little win. 104 00:05:08,523 --> 00:05:12,121 A lot of us also dream of being mistaken for native speakers, 105 00:05:12,121 --> 00:05:14,752 and it's really cool when you are, 106 00:05:14,752 --> 00:05:17,547 but I also think, spending too much time 107 00:05:17,572 --> 00:05:19,522 comparing yourself to native speakers 108 00:05:19,522 --> 00:05:21,587 can be destructive to your self-esteem. 109 00:05:22,174 --> 00:05:24,720 Native speakers have had an entire lifetime 110 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,305 of experience speaking your target language, 111 00:05:27,305 --> 00:05:29,589 so they have years more practice than you do. 112 00:05:30,250 --> 00:05:33,508 It's like starting piano lessons and thinking you're terrible 113 00:05:33,508 --> 00:05:36,910 because you don't play as well as Mozart and Beethoven. 114 00:05:36,910 --> 00:05:38,341 You know, it's great to look up to these people, 115 00:05:38,341 --> 00:05:40,920 and use them as role models for improving your skills, 116 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,908 but just, you know, be careful 117 00:05:42,908 --> 00:05:45,997 with how you let that affect your self-worth. 118 00:05:46,215 --> 00:05:48,300 As long as your making progress, 119 00:05:48,300 --> 00:05:50,107 you're moving in the right direction. 120 00:05:50,267 --> 00:05:52,884 And finally, consider your purpose for learning 121 00:05:52,884 --> 00:05:55,050 and use that to mesure your progress. 122 00:05:55,633 --> 00:05:58,131 So if you want to be conversationnal in Korean, 123 00:05:58,131 --> 00:05:59,550 and you can make jokes, 124 00:05:59,550 --> 00:06:03,017 you can navigate the honorific system correctly, 125 00:06:03,017 --> 00:06:06,100 you can carry on conversations about various topics, 126 00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:07,683 but you can't understand 127 00:06:07,683 --> 00:06:10,499 a Korean research paper about organic chemistry, 128 00:06:10,499 --> 00:06:13,665 I think you can still call yourself conversationnal. 129 00:06:14,031 --> 00:06:17,998 Because your goal was never to discuss scientific issues 130 00:06:17,998 --> 00:06:20,599 at an intense, you know, level, 131 00:06:20,599 --> 00:06:22,649 so it makes sense that you never focused 132 00:06:22,649 --> 00:06:25,881 on the terminology or background knowledge needed to do so. 133 00:06:26,399 --> 00:06:29,782 So using that to measure your abilities is unfair to yourself. 134 00:06:30,678 --> 00:06:34,368 You know, hopefully the next time you find yourself dwelling on your mistakes 135 00:06:34,368 --> 00:06:36,934 or feeling bad about your language learning abilities, 136 00:06:36,934 --> 00:06:39,427 you'll remember some of these tips and keep going. 137 00:06:40,757 --> 00:06:43,101 Moving on to "Globalization", 138 00:06:43,101 --> 00:06:45,533 just something that I wanted to point out, 139 00:06:45,533 --> 00:06:48,533 last year Aleksandar Medjedovic did a great presentation 140 00:06:48,533 --> 00:06:50,116 called "Do you speak business?", 141 00:06:50,116 --> 00:06:51,809 about the way knowing languages 142 00:06:51,809 --> 00:06:54,232 could impact your career in different job sectors. 143 00:06:54,583 --> 00:06:56,800 And I'd really recommend checking that out 144 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,998 if you are looking to market your languages 145 00:06:58,998 --> 00:07:00,265 for job opportunities. 146 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Since we are focusing more on basic skills here I'll just talk a little bit 147 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 about when I think you should or shouldn't try to communicate in a foreign language 148 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you're just begining to learn. 149 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So why you should try : 150 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 One thing is that people care when they think that /you/ care. 151 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So of courses there are cultural differences, 152 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in how employers and employees 153 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 treat each other and interact with each other in the workplace 154 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 depending on where you are, 155 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I think that most of us would agree that we like to feel valued and included, 156 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and when we feel valued and included, 157 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we take more pride in what we do, 158 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that leads to better performance and productivity, 159 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is great for everyone. 160 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So when you have employees or colleagues that speak another language, 161 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 taking the time to learn about their language and culture 162 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sends a message that they're important to you, 163 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and worth your time, and you get 164 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to establish much more meaninful connections with them. 165 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My friend worked in a kitchen with mostly Spanish speaking employees 166 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and when she started using Spanish to talk with them, 167 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it really improved the mood in the kitchen and boosted morale, 168 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because everyone really appreciated 169 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that their boss was going out of her way 170 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to communicate with them in their language. 171 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And a lot of bosses don't really take the time to do that. 172 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I worked in a school with a colleague from Nepal, 173 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I had worked in previous jobs with Nepalese students, 174 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I was getting ready for a trip to Nepal, 175 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I started, you know, speaking a little bit of Nepalese with him 176 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and he was really excited because no one else had really tried to do that before. 177 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And we ended up becoming friends, 178 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and we developped a bond that helped both of us, you know, 179 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 personally and profesionally. 180 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So without that language as a common ground, 181 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we might have not thought to connect in that way. 182 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We might not have been, you know, as likely to establish a friendship. 183 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Language can also open the door to business and networking opportunities. 184 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I used recruit international students at a local school, 185 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I once traveled with a group of recruiters 186 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to a business school in China. 187 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 None of us spoke Mandarin very well, 188 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but some of us tried to speak what we knew, 189 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and engage in small talk with students and teachers. 190 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When it came time for students to pick the school they liked, 191 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they almost always picked the school with recruiters who tried 192 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to speak in their language. 193 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because we were the ones who showed that we cared about them, 194 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 beyond just the money they were going to give us. 195 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you know, we made the kids feel like we'd do our best to look out for them, 196 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and make them feel safe and comfortable if they came to study with us. 197 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that personal touch and connection can make a big difference in business, 198 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so language is just one of the ways you can do that, 199 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you don't need to be fluent or very proficent 200 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to be able to, you know, make a little difference. 201 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Those are just two ways that basic language skills 202 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can be helpful in the workplace, 203 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but of course there are times when you should stick to your native language 204 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or the established language of business for your workplace. 205 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So when I say "the established language of business", 206 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 my current company for example has offices and business partners 207 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in many countries around the world, 208 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but we're supposed to do all official client communication in English. 209 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that's our, like, established language of business. 210 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You should really be careful of anything beyond small talk, 211 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 any negotiation, technical discussions, 212 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 topics that require expressing complex ideas, 213 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 those should be done in a language you speak conmfortably. 214 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's really important that everyone's thoughts and questions 215 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are communicated accurately when business is at stake, 216 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so you should do that in a language 217 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you feel really comfortable with, 218 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even if it requires, you know, the use of a translator or interpreter. 219 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The same with legal informations, 220 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or informations that your colleagues might need access to later, 221 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they don't speak your target language. 222 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that would be like contracts, instructions, 223 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 policy updates, any of those should be documented 224 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in the established language of business. 225 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you know, I do believe that any employee 226 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who don't speak or read the established language of business very proficiently 227 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 should have access to this type of information 228 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in their home language, but that's not something 229 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you as a beginner should be doing, 230 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you should be outsourcing that to someone who is fluent in the home language, 231 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like a profesionnal translator or interpreter. 232 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Next we move on to "Education". 233 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, just to show you how truly multilingual this experience has been, 234 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I've compiled a list of languages 235 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and created a map of the birthplaces of students I've worked with 236 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 as an "English as a New Language" or an ENL teacher. 237 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And these are the ways the students have identified their languages themselves, 238 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it's not meant to be political in any way. 239 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, so to give a bit of background, 240 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I've taught every grade from kindergarten, 241 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which in the U.S begins at age four or five, 242 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or adult education classes, with students 243 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 as old as 75. 244 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Some were international students, 245 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 meaning they came to the U.S for the purpose of studying, 246 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 some were immigrants whose families had chosen to move here for work 247 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or other opportunities. 248 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And most were refugees who were displaced from their homes for a variety of reason, 249 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and selected to relocate to my city. 250 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Even though the United States doesn't have an official language, 251 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 most of the schools in the country have instructions in English. 252 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So when a student enroll in school for the first time in New York state, 253 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they are asked which languages are spoken at home and, 254 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 depending on the answer, they take a placement exam 255 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to determine their level of English, and what language services they need. 256 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The students take another exam at the end of the school year 257 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to measure their progress and decide 258 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 what services they need next year, 259 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they keep taking this test every year 260 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 until their scores are high enough to be proficient. 261 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We do teach social English, but the primary goal is 262 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 English for academic purposes, because we want all of our students 263 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to graduate and have professional success, 264 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 whether they go to college or go right into the workplace. 265 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's probably a very different experience that some of you have had 266 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 learning languages for fun. 267 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I also want to bring up some of the challenges that my students have faced. 268 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Because I don't think that it applies to all language learners, 269 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it's really like a good perspective to have. 270 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Some of my students have missed years of school, 271 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 maybe even never went to school before, 272 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 due to circumstances like sickness or war. 273 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They might have never even learnt to read or do maths, 274 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which means even, you know, some teenagers we start working with, 275 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we need to teach them the fundamentals of learning in addition to language skills. 276 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So many of our students struggle with adapting to 277 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 american school culture but the kids with interrupted and limited schooling 278 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have even more difficult adjusting and progressing. 279 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Which is not to say they can't be successful, 280 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but they just have more challenges to overcome than other kids their age. 281 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Many of my students experience post-traumatic stress disorder, 282 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 based on situations that happened to them 283 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 before they came to our school. 284 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And this can affect their concentration 285 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and ability to take in new informations. 286 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Lack of technology skills or ressources is a huge issue as well. 287 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Even before school went remote because of the pandemic, 288 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in the U.S most schools required students to carry around a computer, 289 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and do all their work online. 290 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But not all students are comfortable with technology, 291 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or have access to it at home. 292 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I actually once worked with a 17 years old who grew up in a refugee camp, 293 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and didn't know what a computer was until his first day in our school. 294 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So we actually had to spend like, a week, 295 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 teaching him how to sign on a computer, 296 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and to use a password, and then we had to teach him to, 297 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, use Google Docs. 298 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm sure technology has been a great benefit 299 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to many of you while learning languages 300 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so you know, just imagine how different the experience might have been 301 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 without all the access to it. 302 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Age is also a factor, which is not to say 303 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can't learn a language after a certain age, 304 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it does affect the services that people can receive. 305 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, in New-York state, most american kids ograduate high-school by age 17 or 18, 306 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you can go to public school until age 21. 307 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So anyone in public school who requires english services receive them for free. 308 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Once you graduate or turn 21, you're no longer eligible for free services. 309 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, depending on how old you are when you arrive in New-York 310 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you need to learn english completely by yourself 311 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or just do volunteer programs, that sometimes don't have certified teachers. 312 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That's often easier said than done 313 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you consider some of these others factors. 314 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, due to the limited services for adults, 315 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there is many situations where immigrant and refugee children 316 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 speak english better than their parents, 317 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so parents often rely on their children 318 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to interprate and translate and take care of important matters for the family. 319 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Sometimes parents aren't able to help 320 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with homework or other importants school issues, 321 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they aren't educated themselves or, you know, 322 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just the american school environment is just so new to them, 323 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that they don't know how to help. 324 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Sometimes children miss school or can't get their homework done 325 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they're working or taking their parents to appointments. 326 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So very often these kids, you know, a lot of my students said 327 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that they always felt like the adult in the family, 328 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it can lead to power struggles within the family, 329 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it can often lead to less emphasis on school. 330 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And finally, while many of my students are polyglots, 331 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I mean, I worked with a few students who spoke five or six languages 332 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 before learning english, 333 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sometimes they feel that their skills are not valued, 334 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they don't speak, maybe like a cool language, or a popular language, 335 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is unfortunately often tied to race or country of origin, 336 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and these students might struggle with motivation or confidence or making friends, 337 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they might struggle more with that Impostor Syndrome. 338 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, thinking that, you know, they have all these skills 339 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it doesn't matter, because they don't speak the right languages, 340 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or they might think that they're stupid 341 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they haven't picked up english quickly. 342 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But, you know, we all know that 343 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the ability to learn a language is not based on just your intelligence. 344 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's also based on your motivation, 345 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the degree of similarity with other languages you know, 346 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and a whole multitude of things. 347 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 All of these perceptions could affect the ability to improve english 348 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or even motivation to come to school at all. 349 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think that these are important to point out, 350 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because many of us have the privilege of learning languages, 351 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so you know, we think it's fun, 352 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or we want to be able to watch Japanese anime, 353 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or we want to make more money at work, 354 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if you're at this conference you have a large support system of fellow polyglots 355 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who can encourage you and help you practice 356 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but in many cases language learning is a necessity 357 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and without that support system 358 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or access to the right tools, or the right state of mind, 359 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it can be really challenging. 360 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, you know, I'm not asking you to feel guilty or to feel pity for anyone, 361 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I would encourage you to find a way to use your skills to support learners 362 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who might not have the same opportunities. 363 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, some examples of why, you know, even though I'm trying to teach english, 364 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 why I might use my students' languages. 365 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The first is to build rapport, which is just a fancy way of saying, 366 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 connecting and learning to trust each other. 367 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So think of your first day at school or a new job or a new city : 368 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it was probably a little scary if you didn't know anyone. 369 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So imagine being a young child and not knowing anyone, 370 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not understanding the culture, 371 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and not understanding what anyone is saying to you. 372 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Even if people have big smiles on their faces, 373 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they're trying to be nice, it's still scary 374 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if you can't understand what anyone is saying. 375 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And depending on the circumtstances that led you to this new place, 376 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you might already have a hard time trusting strangers and, 377 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, feeling safe. 378 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So there is actually a term in english learning 379 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 called the "affective filter". 380 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if someone is stressed or nervous, 381 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 all those feelings act like a filter or a wall, 382 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that prevents you from retaining new information. 383 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So if a person is feeling safe and comfortable, 384 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that filter is lowered, and they can learn better. 385 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So a good tip for trying to speak a language is 386 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to get yourself into a environment 387 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where you feel comfortable taking risks 388 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you'll probably perform much better. 389 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 As a teacher, I always try to use students languages as much as possible 390 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when I first meet them 391 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to help them feel welcome and just let them know 392 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm someone that cares and you can take risks around me. 393 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'll never forget I had a new student from Cuba, 394 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 couldn't speak any english, and I showed her around the school 395 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with my very elementary spanish, so like, 396 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Okay, esta la biblioteca, esta el baño... Tienes hermano?" 397 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, I don't speak spanish very well, 398 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I actually studied italian for a long time 399 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so at some point I think I actually started 400 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 accidentally speaking italian to her, 401 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but she was really grateful that 402 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I recognized she was scared, and tried to make her feel better, 403 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and eventually, when she was ready to start speaking english, 404 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 she felt comfortable trying that with me, 405 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because she'd already seen me embarass myself, 406 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and step out of my comfort zone. 407 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I set the tone for the class, like 408 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "It's okay to make mistakes here!" 409 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, you know, as a teacher in general 410 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would encourage you to create that environment yourself. 411 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Anyone who tried immersion in their target language 412 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 knows that it's very exhausting, 413 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it can be really embarassing, 414 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and how relieving and empowering it is 415 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you actually understand what people are saying. 416 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, you know, those little bits of the student's first language 417 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can be a breath of fresh air at first. 418 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It's also helpful in meeting parents. 419 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So a lot of students' parents are nervous about coming to school 420 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because they don't speak english 421 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the american school system is so different from what they're used to. 422 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So we do use interpreters for conversations with parents, 423 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but speaking a few words and phrases of the home language yourself 424 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 sets the tone of the visit that, you know, 425 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "we care about you and welcome you want to work with you." 426 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Another reason to learn your students' language is 427 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it can actually help you be a better teacher in some ways 428 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because understanding how another language works 429 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 helps you understand the differences with your native language. 430 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So as an english teacher, understanding 431 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 some of the fundamentals of different languages means like, 432 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Okay I've got a new student who is 433 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 from an arabic speaking country, they'll, you know, definitely need 434 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to learn the latin alphabet, 435 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they'll need to learn how to write left to right instead of right to left. 436 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But they also might have trouble with /b/ and /p/. 437 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Their writing, you know they might need help with when to use a comma, 438 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or when to stop a sentence. 439 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I found a lot of my Aarabic speakers would have like, 440 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 really run-on sentences because of the way that writing system is different in Arabic. 441 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Every student is different, and will have unique challenges to learning language. 442 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I've actually worked with twins and triplets who have had totally different needs. 443 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But understanding their language background 444 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 can really help you figure out starting points for what to teach. 445 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And of course, your goal as an ENL teacher 446 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is ultimately to teach students English 447 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there are times when you need to communicate to students or families 448 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in their home language and, there's limits to what you should do yourself. 449 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would go to a professional translator or interpreter 450 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for anything that's highly academic, 451 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 any important legal or school information, 452 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like anything you'd send home to all the parents, 453 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that should be available in the parents' home language. 454 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And any serious mental or physical health concerns, 455 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like if you needed to go to a psychiatrist 456 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or a social worker. 457 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 A1 or A2 language skills can make a huge difference 458 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in helping families to acclimate and learn English, 459 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but it's not very enough to discuss very serious topics 460 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that could impact a child's future or health and, you know, 461 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we try to treat everyone with dignity and respect, 462 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 regardless of their language background so, 463 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if I'm trying to have a serious discussion while trying to talk to an adult 464 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 with the vocabulary of a child, 465 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, that's maybe not the most respectful way 466 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to include them in the conversation. 467 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, how do we communicate, when we can't communicate? 468 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Well, there's a lot of great professional services 469 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for schools and workplaces, in the United States at least. 470 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We have local translations agencies, 471 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that will not only translate letters and school documents, 472 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but also state exams. 473 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The translators will sit with the students 474 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and read questions, or even the whole test. 475 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We've even had a student write a whole essay in Ukrainian, 476 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the translator translated it into English for us. 477 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So these things helps us understand 478 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 what the students actually know, 479 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and not just what they're limited in expressing through English skills. 480 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 New-York also has bilingual glossaries, which I'll show in a minute, 481 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 these are for major school subjects 482 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and in a ton of different languages, 483 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and students can use them for reference 484 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when working with academic vocabulary. 485 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And we also have an over-the-phone interpreting service, 486 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which when you call the number, you punch in a code, 487 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think it's like, 23 for Arabic, 488 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they get an interpreter on the phone, 489 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who can help you make phone calls. 490 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They can also be, you know, if you're in a meeting 491 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and an interpreter is not present, you could put the phone on speakerphone 492 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and have that interpreter interpret the conversation. 493 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Some strategies that I use as a teacher, 494 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think the best way to help students is 495 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to just meet them at their level. 496 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There is a language learning theory called "I+one", 497 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which means that the best way to improve your language skills 498 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is to expose yourself to content that is 499 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just a little bit more difficult that your current level. 500 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If it's too easy you won't progress, 501 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if it's way too hard you won't progress either, 502 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because you know, you might burn out. 503 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So expecting students that, you know, came with a very low English proficiency score, 504 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 expecting them to read and understand a History textbook 505 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on their first day of school probably isn't very fair, 506 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and will probably kill their self-esteem. 507 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But maybe they can read a picture book about an historical event, 508 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and answer questions about it. 509 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Start there, gradually add more. 510 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Some examples of specific supports are like simplified texts, 511 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which maybe some of you use in your target language, 512 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and sentence frames, to help with writing. 513 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, in these cases here are some sentence frames 514 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that I might help the student with for an essay or a debate. 515 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So all they really have to focus on at first 516 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 is putting in like, the meat of the content. 517 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then, they kind of see these examples 518 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and learn the structures of the sentences 519 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we would expect them to write. 520 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And here are some bilingual glossaries, 521 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so here is English Language Arts in Albanian, 522 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Math glossary for grades 3 to 5 in Tibetan, 523 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and Slovak Earth Science, 524 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and here is Physics for Twi. 525 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And while we're on the topic of translation, 526 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we can move on to localization. 527 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Here's another fun list : all the languages I've worked with 528 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 since starting work as a project manager 529 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in the translation industry. 530 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 As you can see there's a lot of languages and just to clarify, 531 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 translation is reading and writing, 532 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and interpretation is speaking and listening. 533 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I wish I could read and write all these languages, 534 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I do not. 535 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, people ask a lot, you know, 536 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Do I need to know a bunch of languages to work in the translation industry?" 537 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I have been surprised to find out 538 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that really the only ones that require 539 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 fluency or proficiency in multiple languages 540 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are translator and interpreter. 541 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you would typically translate or interprate 542 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 into your native language because, 543 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, I guess that depends on need, 544 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you might be fluent in a bunch of languages, 545 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you'll typically better understand the cultural or linguistic nuances 546 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that make the words sound natural in your native language. 547 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then, we also like, really look for people who have industry experience, 548 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so if I'm translating a medical document, 549 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'd hire a linguist who has medical experience 550 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 over a linguist with business experience. 551 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Same for legal documents, engineering documents, 552 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 anything with technical knowkedge. 553 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So if you want to be a translator, 554 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it really helps to study and work in other fields 555 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 besides just studying linguistics. 556 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My friend is an American sign language interpreter, 557 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and she had to interpret for a biochemistry exam 558 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I just, you know, 559 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 she had to learn a whole bunch of biochemistry 560 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to be able to help, because she's like, 561 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "This is not my field at all!" 562 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So yeah, obviously that industry knowledge makes a big difference 563 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 depending on what your translating or interpreting. 564 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, you know, for any job we also look for communication 565 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and ability to meet deadlines, 566 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so if you produce great work, but you're rude, 567 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and you don't turn your work in on time, 568 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 people won't want to hire you. 569 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And then, yeah, here are a few jobs 570 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in the translation industry, 571 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that don't always require knowing 572 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 a bunch of languages outside of 573 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 your company's official language of business. 574 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This was really surprising to me, when I started. 575 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 How many jobs there are where other skills 576 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are kind of, maybe maybe more important. 577 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So for example my company's language of business is English. 578 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I need to know English for my job 579 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I can communicate with clients and service providers, 580 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but if I'm managing a translation project in Turkish and Swahili, 581 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't need to understand those languages to do my job. 582 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So examples, I'm a project manager 583 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that's what I do, when we receive a project 584 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I kind of hire the linguist to do the job, 585 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and anyone to do like, special services, 586 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I deliver it and, you know, do quality checks. 587 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Graphic Designers and Media Specialists 588 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 are the ones that actually, you know, 589 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 actually put the translation into posters and videos, 590 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and make sure it looks good. 591 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Localization Engineers are programmers, 592 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so they get the translation 593 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 into apps and websites. 594 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And the recruiters are people who 595 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 find people to work for the company 596 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in different departments, 597 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and negotiate their pay. 598 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So in many of these jobs 599 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you'll be surrounded by languages 600 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you don't have to know them all fluently. 601 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Instead you'll have to know things 602 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like programming or working in indesign, 603 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or building relationships 604 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and communicating effectively... 605 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So these are great jobs to look into 606 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if you like languages, but you're maybe not... 607 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You don't have the skills to be a translator or an interpreter, 608 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or that doesn't really interest you. 609 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There's lot of other things you can do, 610 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and still work with languages. 611 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I don't always know the languages, 612 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I don't always speak or read the languages needed within the project, 613 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so a lot of responsability does fall 614 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 on our translators and interpreters 615 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to make sure the project is completed with the best quality. 616 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But there are some translation tools that 617 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even I, you know, can use for quality. 618 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So one is the translation memory, or the TM. 619 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 When we put a document into translation software, 620 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the text is divided up into segmrents like sentences or phrases. 621 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And when the project is finished, 622 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the segment is saved into the translation memory 623 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for future use. 624 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So the next time that segment appears in another project, 625 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it will show you similar segments that were already translated, 626 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which helps with consistency. 627 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Here, this is a software called memoQ, 628 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we see "The next stop is Tower Bridge", 629 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that's 70% similar to a previous translation 630 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "The next stop is Charring Cross" 631 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that 70% is the similarity to previous translations, 632 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it also tells you what's different between the translations. 633 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So here the only difference is that 634 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 one is Charring Cross, the other is Tower Bridge, 635 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and we won't be translating those names anyway, 636 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so we can use that same construction 637 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 (German): "Die nächste Haltestelle ist" 638 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then you just put in "Tower Bridge". 639 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Another thing that helps is the Term base. 640 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So this is a glossary that the client provides to us, 641 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that tells us their preferred translation 642 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for certain words and phrases. 643 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And it's programmed into the software, 644 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so anytime the word or phrase appears in the text, 645 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the linguist knows to use that. 646 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 In this case it's a program called Memsource, 647 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and these yellow words mean that 648 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there's something in the Term base for them, 649 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and red mean that you should not ever use that translation. 650 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So my russian is not great, 651 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I know that "download" should be 652 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 translated as "скачать". 653 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So if a different word is used, 654 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know that the linguist didn't follow the Term base. 655 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I know here, "Memsource" should not ever 656 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 be spelled with a capital "S". 657 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that helps with consistency as well. 658 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And we also have what's called a Quality Assurance, 659 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or QA check, which are automated checks 660 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for translations errors or, 661 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know it basically looks into the translation, 662 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 analyzes them against rules or ressources that we programmed in, 663 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it helps us look for inconsistencies. 664 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So here, this is from MadCap Lingo, 665 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there's three different translations of 666 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall", 667 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that are all a little bit different. 668 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So what I would do, if I was looking at this QA report, 669 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would ask the linguist to review them, 670 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and just make sure that those are supposed 671 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to be intentionally different. 672 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if not, then they should fix them 673 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to meke them more standard. 674 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So it's not necessary to know the languages your team is translating, 675 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there are a few ways it can be helpful. 676 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So one would be catching small mistakes, 677 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like typos, or if there is issues with formatting, 678 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 maybe a word is supposed to be bolded in the english file, 679 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but the formatting didn't transfer over to the target file. 680 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you know those words then you can kind of find that. 681 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That's also helpful if you know right to left languages, 682 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like Hebrew and Arabic. 683 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Sometimes when you copy and paste 684 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 into certain files formats, 685 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the orientation is not preserved, 686 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so it comes out backward. 687 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you don't know those languages 688 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you might not realize that you might send 689 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 something to the client that's completely useless. 690 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, that's always very helpful, 691 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and we do use English for official communications 692 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but any opportunity to use a little bit of languages with your partners 693 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 during small talks is always appreciated. 694 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Very helpful for phone calls too! 695 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 A lot of our clients and service providers 696 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 have operators who only speak the local language 697 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so if you call and try to speak english, 698 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I've been hang up on before. 699 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 One time I reached an answering machine in French 700 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I left an awkard message because I don't speak French, 701 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I didn't realize the answering machine 702 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 said that they were closed for the next three days, 703 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I only figured that out 704 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 after a colleague called them with a question. 705 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you know, a little bit of French 706 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 might have been helpful there! 707 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 We can also sometimes use our knowledge in QA reports, 708 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 even knowing a little bit about grammar could be helpful. 709 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So here are some examples of text 710 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that might show up in the Term base. 711 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So in the case of Polish, there's only one word 712 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that we use for "operating system" that's translated in. 713 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And so there's all these different declensions, 714 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 where the computer just reads the rule: 715 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "'operating system" has always been translated this way" 716 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and flags all of these as errors, 717 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but depending on the context, these are correct. 718 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Same with Latvian. 719 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The Term base only says translate "patients" as this, 720 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if this comes up, then it will say an error. 721 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that's a false positive. 722 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Unfortunately, computers can't critically think 723 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the way that we can, so this happens a lot. 724 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 The same with Portuguese, 725 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in these two cases, there's two different versions of the word "good", 726 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it's flagged for inconsistency, 727 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but they're actually correct because 728 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there are gender differences, 729 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the words they are referring to, 730 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 one is male and the other one is female, 731 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so they actually should not be the same word. 732 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And the same in German: 733 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in this case "die die" is flagged as a potential typo 734 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because the same word shows up twice. 735 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But in this case "die" is a relative pronoun 736 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for "Die Frau", "The woman", 737 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it can also be an article 738 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for "the milk", "die Milch". 739 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So that's actually correct, 740 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but a computer just knows the rules 741 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to, you know, make sure that the same word isn't repeated. 742 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This happens in some other languages as well. 743 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So these are examples of times 744 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when you might be able to use your basic language skills 745 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in a translation project 746 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but of course you need to be very careful. 747 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Anything that's highly specialized, 748 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 something you're not 100% sure about, 749 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you should always leave to a professional linguist. 750 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 People pay a lot of money for translation, 751 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and we have certain international standards 752 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we have to meet for quality, 753 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that means that, you know, 754 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I shouldn't be translating things myself 755 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if I'm not a certified linguist. 756 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And you know, anything that's more than small talk, and related to business, 757 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 should be done in your company's established language of business. 758 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I've mentionned using professional quite a few times, 759 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and the focus has of course been on beginner skills, 760 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but some of you might be interested 761 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in becoming one of these language professional yourself. 762 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I'm not a hiring manager or expert, 763 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I just wanted to, you know, 764 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 maybe flesh out some of the ideas I've already talked about. 765 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I mentionned over-the-phone interpreting, earlier, 766 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which I used a lot as a teacher 767 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 when communicating with families. 768 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you don't have a lot of opportunities 769 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for interpreting in your immediate area, 770 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but you're highly proficient in speaking two or more languages, 771 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'd look into something like this. 772 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, just know that interpreting is 773 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 not just knowing the languages, 774 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there is also skills such as, you know 775 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 being able to think in both languages at the same time, 776 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and being able to, you know, 777 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 give timely feedback. 778 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would definitely, you know, suggest training for this, 779 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but that's something you could look into. 780 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Same with translation: 781 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Translators Without Borders is an awesome humanitarian organisation, 782 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that strives to provides access to information to everyone 783 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 regardless of their language background. 784 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I am not affiliated with them, 785 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I follow a lot of what they do on social medias, 786 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I know they're a non-profit organisation, 787 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they're always looking for volunteers who write and write multiple languages, 788 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially languages without a lot of mainstream representation. 789 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So like, for example, a lot of things are translated into French for Africa, 790 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there's so many languages in Africa, 791 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and so many people that don't speak French well, 792 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and if you just rely on French to spread information, 793 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that's not really equitable for everybody. 794 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Then, industry knowledge of course is very important 795 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to make sure you understand the content and terminology of the text, 796 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and depending on the job you want, 797 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you might want to consider getting certifications 798 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or putting together a portfolio of translations for review, 799 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which is not necessary for every job, but definitely, you know, 800 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 something nice to have on hand. 801 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, yeah, here is an example of the COVID-19 Glossary, 802 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 put together by Translators Without Borders 803 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to make sure that accurate information was being spread 804 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to communities around the world, regardless of language. 805 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They don't just do healthcare, 806 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they do a ton of different, you know, industries, 807 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but this is something I know they worked on very hard last year. 808 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So yeah, just to sum up, 809 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 beginner level skills do have a place at work 810 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 for connecting with people, being inclusive, 811 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 improving you teaching, and maybe even saving you some time, 812 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there are limitations, 813 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially anything that's technical, 814 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 legal or sensitive discussions. 815 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And to stay motivated and measure your progress, 816 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 think about your end goal, 817 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and set many checkpoints to reach along the way. 818 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I did see there was a question about a small win, 819 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I guess that can kind of be whatever you want it to be, 820 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it depends on your goal, 821 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 everyone's goal are kind of highly individualized, 822 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so yeah, think about like, what are some steps to progress to your goal, 823 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it's good to be realistic about 824 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the work that still needs to be done, 825 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but don't let that keep you from remembering 826 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the value of what you've already put in. 827 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I've already said this like four times 828 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but in order to get your language skills to a place where 829 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can use them professionally, 830 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you'll likely need technical and linguistic experience 831 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in the field or industry you want to work in, 832 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 wether that's medicine, law, or something else. 833 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I'm so happy to see some questions on here! 834 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, I think that there are a lot of people that, 835 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they feel like, you know, 836 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "English only! English is the most important thing, I don't want to, um..." 837 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 You know, they really want to challenge themselves, 838 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they might not appreciate some of 839 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the bilingual ressources we provide for them. 840 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That's sort of their- I actually suggest 841 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 using your languages that you already know 842 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to help you learn another language, 843 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 especially for academics purposes, 844 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but that's sort of, I guess, up to the individual themselves. 845 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Also, yeah, I mean, I don't speak a lot of languages very well, and so, 846 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if I didn't know the language sometimes it is just easier 847 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to communicate in a language that, um, 848 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 either having an interpreter or translator with me, 849 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, that gets things done a little bit faster than, 850 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like I said, trying to speak with my elementary skills, 851 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 yeah, sometimes that, like I said that doesn't really go very far, 852 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it's better to just sort of cut our losses there and, 853 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know, get down to business. 854 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Hope that answers your question 855 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 "How can I get in contact with people that don't speak English 856 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and can't afford a school or a private teacher?" 857 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 That is also a great question 858 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So I can only speak to the places that I've lived and worked, 859 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but there are a lot of volunteer agencies, 860 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that help refugees when they come to your country 861 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that help them, you know, get [close/clothes?], 862 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 get acclimated, there's a lot of legal paperwork 863 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that needs to be done and so there's often very- 864 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there's often some sort of volunteer agency 865 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that has connections like this. 866 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 My city is called the "Sanctuary City", 867 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 which means that we accept anybody who comes in 868 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 regardless of their background, 869 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so we have a ton of these agencies, 870 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would look maybe for refugee organisations, 871 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they're usually looking for volunteers. 872 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And sometimes it's not just like, teaching English, 873 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they might also need help with bringing food to families, 874 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 or donating clothes, so yeah. 875 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I would see if there's any organisations like that 876 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 in your hometown. 877 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, that is really challenging, and I would say that, 878 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 involving mental health experts, 879 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so like at my school, we had social workers, 880 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we had school psychologists, 881 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 we had, you know, juste the regular student counselors 882 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that are more trained in those types of emotionnal needs, 883 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 andh having an interpreter or a translator available 884 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 to accurately discuss that information would be very helpful. 885 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, yeah. Definitely involving mental health professionals. 886 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And I think, just as a teacher or as someone at the workplace, 887 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know that a lot of refugees have, you know- 888 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 get help with job placement. 889 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 This could really affect their ability to learn, 890 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and their ability to do work, 891 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so just being patient, and understanding that, you know, 892 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they might not be ready to do an exam on Earth Science, 893 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and sometimes you know, you need to 894 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 take care of those mental health needs first. 895 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And so just being aware of that, 896 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 getting them support with mental health professionals, 897 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then kind of, like I said, take things as they go, 898 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and meeting them where they are, 899 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and know that sometimes teachers, 900 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you know they have their one way of teaching, 901 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and they want to kind of expect every kid to fit into that, 902 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that's sort of something that's changing in american schools, 903 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that instead of teaching with the style that you're comfortable with, 904 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you might need to make adjustments for kids, 905 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and just having that flexibility and that empathy is really important. 906 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And also, you know, I don't think- 907 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think sometimes we pity refugees, 908 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I don't think that they need pity 909 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think they just need like, a friend, 910 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 who is there to help them, 911 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so yeah, being there for all those needs is helpful as well. 912 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you have access to like, an over-the-phone interpreting service, 913 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that is probably the most helpful. 914 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I know that that's not always available, 915 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so in that case, I guess body language and images and visuals, 916 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 those can go a long way. 917 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 For example, I'm thinking about, 918 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like an emergency situation like a medical situation, 919 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can kind of point to your head, 920 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 you can, you know, things like that, 921 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and it's awkward but any type of communication... 922 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If something- I think people- 923 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 It might take a long time and it might feel a little uncomfortable, 924 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but using things like that can be really helpful. 925 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 They also- I wouldn't always recommend 926 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that people use their family members to translate, 927 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 just because you don't always know if 928 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they're telling all the right information, 929 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and I don't mean that in a way like, 930 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 they're trying to hide anything from you, 931 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but a professional interpreter is definitely more, you know, 932 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 unbiaised in what they're saying, 933 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but if there's a family member that speaks a language 934 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that can be really helpful in those cases. 935 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And, "what can I consider a small win?" 936 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I kind of already mentionned that but, um, 937 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 yeah, I would say that's kind of up to you 938 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and what you're trying to accomplish. 939 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 If you're trying to be conversationnal, 940 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 then, like I said with Hungarian, 941 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I think that, you know, 942 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 being able to buy a bus ticket by myself is a big win, 943 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that's something on the way to eventually being conversational. 944 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, kind of think of your end goal, 945 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and what are some, yeah, I guess a small win can be anything, 946 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 anything you couldn't do before 947 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 that you can do now, that's a win! 948 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So this is actually very different depending on 949 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 the company that you work for and the company structure. 950 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 So, I know some- 951 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 There's definitely a lot of planning, emailing and reporting, 952 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 because your goal is to get the project done, 953 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and that often requires a lot of, you know, 954 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 communicating between people, 955 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but I also know that some companies have like, language experts, 956 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so they deal more with the linguist side 957 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so I, as a project manager in my current role, 958 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 I deal with both the clients and the linguists. 959 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And so the clients, that's very much like, overhead, account things, 960 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and then, the linguist expert side, 961 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 like, I work with the linguists, 962 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 make sure they understand the needs of the project. 963 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And yeah, I know that in some countries, 964 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 there's some companies that might have, you know, 965 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 only people that know Spanish or work on Spanish translations, 966 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 it kind of depends on the, I guess the breakdown of your company, 967 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 if that helps. 968 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 But you will do a lot of emailing and reporting (LAUGH), I'm sure. 969 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 Yeah, so I think those are all the questions, 970 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 thank you so much! 971 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 And if there's anyting else, I left my email adress 972 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and my profile, I didn't really fill out a lot of the other stuff, 973 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 but definitely included my email adress 974 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 so please feel free to reach out at me at any time, 975 99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999 and yeah, thanks so much, enjoy the rest of the conference!