Language
Experts by Experience: Mohammed’s 5 tips for learning English quickly
Mohammed attended school in Syria until year 11 when he and his family members were displaced to Egypt due to the war. In school in Syria, he started studying English around year five or six but since it wasn’t his favourite subject, he made slow progress. Although he would have liked to improve his language…
Good practice when working with interpreters
This resource is designed to help you understand the role of interpreters, and to help you explain this to both them and the refugees you are supporting. It explains what an interpreter should and should not do, and some of the challenges that you and they will face when working with newly arrived refugees, such as maintaining…
Tips for using Google Translate effectively
Part of your Sponsor Requirements in supporting a resettled family is to provide interpretation support for the language spoken by the family for their first year in the UK. Community Sponsorship groups use professional in-person interpreters, telephone interpreters, volunteers or even bilingual group members to meet this requirement. However, many groups have found that after…
Briefing and debriefing interpreters
Preparing interpreters for the likely content of an appointment will help them do their job to the best of their ability. It can help them prepare for the language that is likely to be used, and give them context which will help them to interpret words accurately. It is also useful to allow time after the…
Common Arabic words and phrases
When the family you support first arrives in the UK, it’s unlikely that they will speak English well enough to communicate with your Community Sponsorship Group without an interpreter present. Although working with interpreters, especially in the early days, will be key in supporting the family to access essential services and learn new things about…
Developing literacy with refugees
As part of your application, you will have thought through the educational support that you will be offering to a resettled family. For children and young people, this will be via the school registration process in your area and for adults, this will be via the provision of ESOL classes and informal opportunities to learn English. …
ESOL Briefing for Community Sponsorship Groups
This substantial downloadable resource contains detailed information on the types of English classes available, the key issues for Community Sponsorship Groups when supporting refugees to access English classes, and advice on how your group can support language learning. Download Community Sponsorship Groups in Scotland may find that the ESOL provision in the nation differs from other…
ESOL in Scotland
There is a strong framework of practice, legislation and policy to support ESOL provision for refugees in Scotland. Education is a devolved matter, English for Speakers of other Languages are the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The framework includes provision for those who are not literate in their own language to access university. There are…
Interpreting options
There are various different ways you can work with interpreters. You could work with paid, volunteer or bilingual volunteers (who work with the family in their own language, and also interpret when required). They could carry out their interpreting either face to face or over the phone. Whichever option you choose, make sure that the interpreter you work…
Supporting non-Arabic speaking refugees
The start of UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) means that we will see refugees resettled from a broader range of countries and nationalities and will likely speak languages other than Arabic. In this resource we look at what this means for Groups who are writing their applications now and we will…