ICASIT Funds Help Interpreters
Close Communication Gaps for Refugees
Language barriers
pose one of the biggest obstacles for refugees trying
to survive in a strange land. Unable to speak the
language of their host countries, the displaced have
no means to communicate their needs. Therefore, they
often go without medical care, education and public
assistance. They also have no way to obtain legal
advice or to petition for resettlement to third countries.
Touched
by this plight and presented with a hopeful
solution, Dr. Steve Ruth, director of Mason’s
International Center for Applied Studies
in Information Technology (ICASIT), earmarked
$30,000 from a foundation grant to help
the American University in Cairo train
refugee
interpreters through its Cairo Community
Interpreters Program (CCIP). “ ICASIT is interested
in finding ways to use technology for good
purposes,” said Ruth, adding that
the Cario program is helping to empower
people who have lost everything.
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ICASIT
is helping to train refugee interpreters
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In
2002, the Forced Migration and Refugee
Studies program
(FMRS) and the American University in Cairo
(AUC) began training students to become
interpreters for refugee communities. But
without adequate
funding, the program has depended on volunteers
and has struggled to survive. With ICASIT’s
support, the program now has a paid staff
and a new computer. In the future, staff
members
hope to secure grants to continue their work.
The program
produces ‘certified’ refugee interpreters
who have helped agencies such as the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
CARITAS, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM), the AMERA Egypt Refugee Legal
Aid Project and embassies to communicate with
refugee populations. CCIP-trained interpreters
are also currently assisting Sudanese refugees,
according to Ruth. |
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Throughout
the program, student interpreters are taught
about the importance of neutrality, confidentiality,
cultural understanding and accuracy. They
are encouraged to understand the cultural
context of the language they are translating
so they can convey the proper meaning.
Courses include specific sessions on the
psychology and ethics of community interpreting,
basic linguistics for community interpreters,
sensitive psychosocial issues and the basics
of Refugee Law and Health Care interpreting.
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Professor
Steve Ruth
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