“This is what labels you”: Examining the structural context of how limited English proficiency and experiences with interpretation services interact to shape health and health access for im/migrant women in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

Considerable research has documented negative health outcomes of ‘language barriers’ for im/migrants in destination countries. There is a crucial need for research underpinned by structural and intersectional frameworks that center im/migrant women’s lived experiences to inform interventions that move beyond the individual-level towards systemic, equity-oriented change. This study analyzed qualitative data from focus groups (4, N=29) and individual interviews with im/migrant women (N=49) and providers (N=10) conducted from July 2018 – February 2020 in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. Moving beyond conceptualizations of language as a ‘barrier’, narratives revealed how unmet communication needs for im/migrant women operated as a form of systemic discrimination. Responsibility for communication often rested on im/migrant women, relegating them to a second tier of care. Best practices for interpretation included a holistic approach that went beyond availability of language-concordant options towards im/migrant-sensitive models that accommodate converging effects of language, im/migration status, systemic racism, and gender

Auto-Translation Instant Messenger using XMPP/Jabber Protocol

Effective communication is a vital component in decision making process. However, the language barrier established from the differences in culture and origin can interrupt the process of coming to an understanding. Various translation methods have been used to break this barrier. The traditional ways of using human translator or the usage of lingua franca imposed some problem and limitations. Auto-Translation Instant Messenger is an 1M program that aimed to provide instant translation to users when they communicate with people of different speaking language. It is developed under the XMPP protocol that provides standards and flexibilities at the same time. In the process of completing this project, Modified Waterfall methodology was chosen as guidance in the development of the working program. Important project activities and milestones are explained. As part of analysis process, a set of questionnaire have been distributed and its result will act as guidance in designing and developing the program. This project is aimed to learn in deep about XMPP, machine translation and instant messagin

Culture and disaster risk management - stakeholder attitudes during Stakeholder Assembly in Rome, Italy

This report provides a summary of the topics discussed and the results of the CARISMAND Second Stakeholder Assembly conducted in Rome, Italy on 27-28 February 2017. In order to promote cross-sectional knowledge transfer, as in the CARISMAND First Stakeholder Assembly held in Romania in the previous year, the audience consisted of a wide range of practitioners that are typically involved in disaster management, e.g., civil protection, the emergency services, paramedics, nurses, environmental protection, Red Cross, fire-fighters, military, the police, and other non-governmental organisations. Further, these practitioners were from several regions in Italy, e.g., Rome and Lazio, Toscana, Emilia-Romagna, and Valle D’Aosta. The participants, who varied between 40 and 60, were recruited via invitations sent to various Italian organisations and institutions (at the national, regional and local levels), and via direct contacts of the Protezione Civile Comune di Firenze who are one of the Italian partners in the CARISMAND Consortium. The event consisted of a mix of presentations, working groups, and panel discussions for these participating practitioners, in order to combine dissemination with information gathering (for the detailed schedule/programme please see Appendix 1). After an initial general assembly where the CARISMAND project and its main goals were presented, the participants of the Stakeholder Assembly were split into small groups in separate breakout rooms, where over the course of the two days they discussed the following topics: 1) Working Group 1. “Culture & Risk”: Practical Experience of Cultural Aspects Disaster Communication between Practitioners and Citizens; 2) Working Group 2. “Media Culture & Disasters”: The Use of Social Media and Mobile Phone Applications in Disasters; 3) Working Groups 3. “Social Cohesion & Social Corrosion”: Cultures, Communities, and Trust. After each working group session, panel discussions allowed the participants to present the results of their working group to the rest of the audience. After each panel discussion, keynote speakers gave presentations related to the respective working group’s topic. This time schedule was designed to ensure that participants are provided with detailed information about recent developments in disaster management, e.g. related to the use of mobile phone apps and social media, but without influencing their attitudes and perceptions expressed in the working groups. The main focus of the working groups was the relationships between culture and risk/disaster communication, the role of social media and smartphone apps, and trust between citizens and disaster managers and/or authorities. These topics, and the questions discussed within each working group, were chosen: following the findings of the CARISMAND First Stakeholder Assembly held in Bucharest, in particular regarding the disconnection between citizens’ risk perception and cultural factors in disasters; 1) the results of the CARISMAND First and Second Citizen Summits held in Bucharest and Malta respectively, specifically taking up the participants’ suggestions regarding vulnerable groups and groups that are seen to be potentially helpful in disaster situations; 2) the results of Work Package 3 ‘Cultural Factors and Technologies’, in particular regarding the increasing interest in mobile phone apps compared to social media usage; 3) the literature review provided in Work Package 4 ‘Risk Perception and Risk Cultures’, particularly regarding the ambivalent of role of trust in disaster preparedness, response and recovery; 4) the preliminary findings of Work Package 7 ‘Citizens Empowerment’, in respect to community cohesion and specific opportunities for citizen empowerment; and 5) topics highlighted in Work Package 8 ‘Risk Communication and the Role of the Media in Risk Communication’ regarding disaster communication practices (particularly in connection with social media/apps usage as identified in Work Package 3 ‘Cultural Factors and Technologies’). These topics were also chosen in order to provide a sound basis for the next round of CARISMAND events (Third and Fourth CARISMAND Citizen Summits held, later, in Rome and Frankfurt in June 2017), i.e. exploring issues of risk perception and culture in the context of disasters at the very point, where practitioners and citizens interact. The location of the Second Stakeholder Assembly was selected to make use of the extensive local professional network of the Protezione Civile, but also due to Italy being a location where various “types” of hazards are prevalent, and disasters were occurred in the very recent past. All documents related to the Working Groups, i.e. discussion guidelines and consent forms, were translated into Italian. Accordingly, all presentations as well as the group discussions were held in Italian, aiming to avoid any language/education-related access restrictions, and allowing participating practitioners to respond intuitively and discuss freely in their native language. For this purpose, researchers from the Laboratory of Sciences Citizenship in Rome, one of the CARISMAND Consortium members, were used as Working Group moderators, alongside simultaneous interpreters and professional local moderators contracted via a local market research agency (RFR International), who also provided the transcripts and translations into English for all Working Group discussions. It is important to note that the discussions within these working groups reflect the participants’ perceptions and may or may not reflect the realities of how communication actually occurs in disaster situations.The project was co-funded by the European Commission within the Horizon2020 Programme (2014-2020).peer-reviewe

Skilled-based and knowledge-based strategies in Television Interpreting

Television Interpreting and Conference Interpreting have always been regarded as profoundly different in terms of the expected performance and the interpreting strategies utilized. Television interpreting is a multi-faceted activity, requiring a particular mind-set and special communicative skills: television interpreters produce their own text, in an attempt to ensure coherence and convey the same effect that the speaker wants to obtain, with little or no possibility of using décalage due to the pragmatic context. The paper investigates how the flow of discourse is managed by television interpreters, with a special focus on the use of prosody and discourse markers. The analysis is conducted on a corpus of recorded texts, interpreted in simultaneous mode by a professional conference interpreter, working for public television. The typology of the interpreted event is the press conference interview, characterized by a rapid question and answer format. Through this analysis, we shall outline a profile of television interpreters and their interpreting strategies

Pasifika success as Pasifika

This research report presents the details and findings of a research project commissioned by Adult and Community Education (ACE) Aotearoa, entitled Pasifika Success as Pasifika in Aotearoa New Zealand (PSAPiA). Intended to be the first of a series providing Pasifika participants in Aotearoa New Zealand with the opportunity to collectively and coherently describe success as Pasifika according to their own insights and aspirations, the focus of this current project was on seeking and articulating a collective conceptualisation of ‘literacy’ and ‘success’ and the link between the two from the perspective of Pasifika peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand. The project’s three-part design incorporated a review of selected relevant literature, Pasifika consultation groups, and wider consultations with Pasifika via an online survey

The impact of language and communication of meaning on ICT Development Projects

This study focusses on language and the communication of meaning within the ICT systems development project management environment. Neglecting to identify the importance of language within the multi-national and multi-cultural ICT project is a major risk to the success of the project. The diversity of the cultures and languages of the project’s human resources and the existence of language barriers are identified and proven as being risk factors that need to be managed as part of the project management plan. The author compiled a framework that incorporates guidelines and critical success factors for an ICT project to assist in identifying and managing specific problems and risks related to language and the communication of meaning within the project. This framework emphasizes the importance of communication that transfers meaning and not only information.Dissertation (MCOM(Informatics))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Informaticsunrestricte

HUMAN ROBOT INTERACTION THROUGH SEMANTIC INTEGRATION OF MULTIPLE MODALITIES, DIALOG MANAGEMENT, AND CONTEXTS

The hypothesis for this research is that applying the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) concepts of using multiple modalities, dialog management, context, and semantics to Human Robot Interaction (HRI) will improve the performance of Instruction Based Learning (IBL) compared to only using speech. We tested the hypothesis by simulating a domestic robot that can be taught to clean a house using a multi-modal interface. We used a method of semantically integrating the inputs from multiple modalities and contexts that multiplies a confidence score for each input by a Fusion Weight, sums the products, and then uses the input with the highest product sum. We developed an algorithm for determining the Fusion Weights. We concluded that different modalities, contexts, and modes of dialog management impact human robot interaction; however, which combination is better depends on the importance of the accuracy of learning what is taught versus the succinctness of the dialog between the user and the robot

Understanding sexual health literacy, gender egalitarian perspectives, and access to SRHR-care among migrants in Sweden

Improving access to SRHR-information and care among refugees and migrants remain a central issue. Countries with strong integration policies have significant reductions in the inequities in sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Securing access to SRHR is linked to the extent to which gender equality is fulfilled, including equal rights for men and women to learn the language and participate in society. Sexual health literacy is based on the concept of health literacy. The conceptualization of sexual health is closely related to sexual agency. Lack of contact with the mainstream population distort opportunities for inter-cultural dialogue and opportunities for negotiating cultural norms regarding sexuality. Intercultural mediation may be a useful tool for reaching migrants with SRHR-information early during resettlement. The aim of this doctoral thesis was to conceptualise sexual health literacy among migrants resettling in Sweden, and to further our understanding concerning cultural, social, and contextual factors that influence the direct and indirect access to information on sexual and reproductive health and rights, to prevention, and care. A multifaceted approach was employed, including qualitative studies and quantitative cross-sectional studies. Data was obtained from four sources: in-depth interviews with newly arrived refugee women (Paper I); in-depth interviews with intercultural mediators (Paper II); Migration World Values Survey 2018 (MWVS) on non-European migrants (Paper III); MILSA 2.5 survey 2018 on Syrian and Iraqi migrants (Paper IV). The findings revealed that the conceptualisation of sexuality among refugee women was reflected in a discourse of shame, and hindered uptake of SRHR-information. Sexual health literacy was achieved by facilitating critical discussions about the influence of culture, gender, and power on SRHR, placed in the context of migration and integration. The findings acknowledged the need for investing in training of the intercultural mediators to assure sustainability in activities and take advantage of the potential embedded in the role (Paper I, II). Trust was closely related with gender egalitarian attitudes among migrants in Scania and increased with higher education. The influence of trust was more important for men’s attitudes, suggesting that men may be more sensitive to the perception of the social environment for their approach towards gender equality (Paper III). Education was also directly associated with a higher probability of STI/HIV testing among migrants. This pathway was partially mediated by language skills. The pathways between other predisposing variables (age, marital status, sexuality) were mediated by the indirect effect of exposure to sexual coercion and alcohol consumption, indicating a risk awareness (Paper IV). The findings from this thesis can contribute to improving the quality of implementation of activities aiming at reaching migrants with SRHR-information, to build sexual health literacy, and promote sexual agency. Interventions needs to be placed in a broader framework of gender equality, participation, and integration, with specific approaches for reaching vulnerable migrant subgroups

Socio-Academic Interaction as Predictors of Academic-Performance for Vietnamese Government Scholarship Recipients in US Graduate Programs

This study investigates the predictability of social interaction and academic interaction to academic performance. Descriptive analysis, multiple regression analysis, factor analysis and correlation analysis of data provided by 71 students who are Vietnamese Government Scholarship Recipients in graduate programs all over the United States indicate that socio-academic interaction can be used as predictors of students\u27 academic performance but only 15% of the predicted variance is explained by the model. The length of students\u27 US sojourn has effect on both social and academic interaction and degree sought by students has effect on academic interaction. Gender and length of exposure to English before coming to the states have no effect on either social interaction or academic interaction while students\u27 English proficiency is only related to their social interaction. The extent that a student exposes to the American culture and people is related to his or her social interaction and the level of institutional and human support received the students is also related to their degree of academic interaction. Aspects of cultural, social, political and educational differences together with factors of identities and some other objective obstacles ( e.g. program size, location, students\u27 personality and motivation) are believed to block students\u27 efforts in engaging more in social and academic interactions and relations. The findings are used to discuss practical implications for education stakeholders at both sides