The problem of interpretation for foreign residents, solved in one step by people working hand in hand!

○ Date: Dec. 2, 2009

○ Offered by: Family & Women Policy Division (031-249-2508)

During a recent informal discussion session for foreign workers & married immigrant women that was hosted by Gyeonggi Province, Mrs. OOO, a married immigrant woman from Thailand, told the session that she had provided interpretation services many times for her friends who were married immigrant women and foreign workers in relation to the Immigration Control Law, Employment Permission Law, industrial disaster-related regulations, insurances, medical services system, criminal investigations and so on, but she was always worried about whether her interpretations were sufficiently accurate, as she did not know a great deal about Korean culture.

Another woman in attendance, Mrs. XXX from Mongolia, said that when she went to a hospital in the province for an emergency treatment last August, she had to wait a long time for treatment, and was only treated after receiving help over the telephone from a married Mongolian immigrant woman who could speak Korean, as nobody in the hospital could understand Mongolian.

From now on, however, there will not be this kind of worry in Gyeonggi Province.
With the advent of an age in which there are approximately 300 thousand foreign residents in the province – and 1 million in total across the country - the Province has begun to solve the problem by establishing the “Multilingual Speakers Network of Gyeonggi Province”.

The “Multilingual Speakers Network of Gyeonggi Province” established by Gyeonggi Province is composed of about 250 persons, and aims to support interpretation & translation services for foreign residents by making good use of the available human resources who can speak foreign languages, most of whom can be found in the institutions and organizations in the province that are dedicated to providing support for foreigners, and has printed 500 booklets containing a list of the human resources by location and language, which can be utilized by city & county governments and local organizations in the province.

By building this network, support for interpretation services in 20 languages - 100 people in English, 49 people in Japanese, 43 people in Chinese, 11 people in Mongolian, and others - has become immediately available. As a result, support for interpretation services targeted toward foreign residents has become much easier. The provincial government is also supporting this work and helping volunteers to take pride in their contribution to the project by honoring them with prizes.




the source-http://english.gg.go.kr