Case study mother toungues

MOTHER TONGUE S the digital street phrasebook

MARTA MONGE

THE CHALLENGE how do we provide asylum seekers / recent migrants who don’t know the local language essential tools to communicate in daily situations?

MAPPING knowledge and assumptions on behaviour of migrant communities settling in EU

smartphone literacy create networks within community of same country expats

lack of language knowledge favours social

does not connotate middle class any more

isolation and creation of ghettos

tech based

public service

tend to prefer less

providers rarely

safe yet culturally

are an emerging

speak the lan-

familiar informal

feature of the

guage of local

service providers

minorities

(eg health)

solutions

social innovation

social innovation through smartphones rarely reach target users

MAPPING expanding primary research through on field reserach and interviews

group creating multi-

local charity tackling

social workers dealing with

free ESOL classes provider

language phrasebooks

social isolation

refugees

for migrants

MAPPING gathering insights from further research

refugees often

socially conscious citizens do not

become passively

lack of language

most charities are

skills is one of the

not made aware

most frequent

nor part of

supportive charities,

causes of incor-

design efforts

rect paperwork

tackling the

not being given self

and loss of rights

refugee crisis

dependent from

help tools

know how to direct their help, wasting useful

suspition towards

resources

newcomers is widespread feeling in both refugees and charities dealing with them

lack of volunteers

establishing trust

and limited budget

takes time and

affects

personal dedi-

effectiveness of

cation and still remains fragile

charities’ support system

IDEATION 3 key questions how to:

guide socially engaged citizens to an action that is manageable, focused, useful? empower refugees / migrants to navigate the city independently, advocating for their rights? use tech to address the refugee crisis by empowering the local community?

IDEATION what is it?

key features - a wi-fi media server broadcasting translations from English to multiple languages, accessible through any smatphone in physical proximity to the device - without internet, without apps.

- an open source network that allows a. individual citizens to set up a device, by sharing instructions on how to source materials (cheap tech, off-the-shelf components) and assemble them. b. users to contribute to the language database by uploading new transaltions on improving existing ones

PROPOSAL what is it?

Mother Tongues Mother Tongues aims to be an open source network addressing migrant communities’ - being them asylum seekers, refugees or just economic migrants - lack of language skills by broadcasting translations from English to multiple languages, accessible through any smartphone.

Translations are accessible as content broadcasted by media wi-fi servers scattered around the city and readable through any smartphone just connecting to an open wi-fi, without need for internet or apps.

Basic unit is a "tongue", a local wi-fi media server, consistsing of an open source single board computer (Raspberry pi) connected to a SD card, a wi-fi dongle and a USB charger. Tongues can be placed in specific locations where migrants are required to interact with locals, without an interpreter, using specific vocabulary. Asking for directions at a train station, equiring about their rights with a lawyer, describing their symptoms to a doctor.

PROPOSAL who is it for?

local

established

EU policy

charity

migrant community

Stakeholder map

social

local

worker

resident SUPPORTER

EXTERNAL

INTERNAL

local MP

migrant/ refugee

national

DIY electronics

developer/

government

online community

designer

refugee focused hackathons

local

international

council

NGOs

PROPOSAL who is it for?

GENERAL

OBJECTIVE

She is approaching the last months

Have a safe pregnancy and be in con-

of gesation and is feeling more and

trol of changes affecting her body

more unprepared, expecially as she

without getting scared every time.

misses her family’s guidance - as they have remained in a refugee camp in

Persona AMIRA

Turkey.

TECHNOLOGY

She uses the internet and sugges-

devices and platforms

tions from older women. She’s gone to a free clinic a few times but gets really embarassed when dealing with male doctor and often she just left or

age 28

didn’t fully describe her symptoms

origin Aleppo, Syria

when faced by a male physician.

currently London, UK work elementary s. teacher

usage INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKS

status asylum seeker family married pregnant

ENGAGEMENT

MOBILE APPS

Most of the locals she knows are volunteers at the local charity she

Her phone is always with her and she

Respectful of religion and traditional values, grew up in

visits. She’s in contact wih a group of

uses it to communicates with friends

a big city where she was working as elementary school

Syrians who have been given acco-

and family back home - mainly

teacher. Quite independent back home, now that she is

modation in the same area and regu-

through whatsapp and facebook.

feeling much more insecure as she doesn’t speak English.

larly

other

She is not aware of any digital

She is pregnant for the first time, but her husband has

migrants

cultural

service targeting refugees and all her

not reached the UK as yet, therefore she’s feeling very

backgrounds through the various

knowledge related to the area she

insecure and concerned about the future.

activities provided by the charity.

lives in comes from the local charity.

gets

in from

touch

with

different

HOPEFULNESS HOPEFULNESS

RELIEF RELIEF ANXIETY ANXIETY CONFUSION FEAR FEAR CONFUSION

CONCERN CONCERN

CLARITY CLARITY FRUSTRATION FRUSTRATION SADNESS SADNESS

ACTIVITY ACTIVITY TOUCHPOINT TOUCHPOINT (PLACE) (PLACE)

DECISION DECISION TOUCHPOINT TOUCHPOINT (INTERFACE) (INTERFACE) FAMILY & FAMILY & FRIENDSFRIENDS NATIVE NATIVE LANG. LANG. WEB WEB PAGES PAGES

UNDER- UNDERSTANDS STANDS SERVICESERVICE OFFERED OFFERED

“It’s not the closest clinic, but I might try and check this one”

ARABIC ARABIC SPEAKING SPEAKING COMMU-COMMUNITY NITY

“It’s not the closest clinic, but I might try and check this one”

WEB

“I’m not fully sure what this is about but it might be good for me”

WEB LOCAL LOCAL CHARITYCHARITY WORKERS WORKERS

ARRIVES ARRIVES AT FREE AT FREE CLINIC CLINIC

MOTHERMOTHER TONGUETONGUE WEBPAGE WEBPAGE

LOOKS AT LOOKS AT DEVICESDEVICES LOCATION LOCATION PICKS PICKS CLINIC CLINIC TO VISITTO VISIT

SITS IN SITS IN WAITINGWAITING ROOM ROOM REGISTE-REGISTERED BY RED BY NURSE NURSE SPOTS SPOTS DEVICE DEVICE

“So how does this thing work??”

discover discover “So how does this thing work??”

“But I do remember this logo! ”

“But I do remember this logo! ”

“I don’t understand anything anyone says. This is uncomfortable.”

investigate investigate “I don’t understand anything anyone says. This is uncomfortable.”

“What am I doing here? I’m not sure I should have gone all the way t o this place” “What am I doing here? I’m not sure I should have gone all the way t o this place”

“they’re the only ones I actually trust from this country. If they say it’s good I’ll give it a try” “they’re the only ones I actually trust from this country. If they say it’s good I’ll give it a try”

“ my group of friends would get me much better than a doctor from here” “ my group of friends would get me much better than a doctor from here”

“This might be much more serious than I imagined!”

“there’s something wrong but I can’t quite figure out what”

“This might be much more serious than I imagined!”

RESEARCH RESEARCH

“what would I do if I was back home?”

SEEKS SEEKS HELP HELP

“what would I do if I was back home?”

FEELS FEELS SICK SICK

“I’m not fully sure what this is about but it might be good for me”

LEGEND LEGEND “family back home is the first to know, before asking people around me” “family back home is the first to know, before asking people around me”

thinking

doing “there’s something wrong but I can’t quite figure out what”

thinking

doing

USER JOURNEY MAP USER JOURNEY MAP INTERACTING WITH A “TONGUE” AT A FREE CLINIC INTERACTING WITH A “TONGUE” AT A FREE CLINIC join join

SWITCHES SWITCHES WIFI ONWIFI ON

SELECTSSELECTS WORD WORD CATEGORY CATEGORY CREATES CREATES NEW NEW ITEM ITEM ADDS ADDS WRITTEN WRITTEN VERSIONVERSION RECORDS RECORDS PRONUNPRONUNCIATIONCIATION

“Next time if I have a problem I’ll know where to look for help”

RECEIVESRECEIVES DIAGNOSIS DIAGNOSIS

“Next time if I have a problem I’ll know where to look for help”

NOTICESNOTICES TRANSLATION TRANSLATION MISSINGMISSING

“I will hide my accent so more people will clearly understand”

“This doctor is not so intimidating after all”

“This doctor is not so intimidating after all”

“I feel much more confident explaining what I’m feeling”

“I feel much more confident explaining what I’m feeling”

“This is feeling a bit more like home. I finally get something.”

IMPROVES IMPROVES SERVICE SERVICE

“I will hide my accent so more people will clearly understand”

DOCTORDOCTOR USES USES PATIENTPATIENT LANG. LANG.

“I haven’t had anyone asking me to use my own language in such a long time” “I haven’t had anyone asking me to use my own language in such a long time”

DESCRIBES DESCRIBES SYMPTOMS SYMPTOMS

“Thanks to me, this is actually getting better.”

SELECTSSELECTS NATIVE NATIVE LANG. LANG.

“Thanks to me, this is actually getting better.”

BROWSES BROWSES TRANS- TRANSLATIONS LATIONS

“Where might people like me be looking for it?”

MEDICALMEDICAL VISIT PER-VISIT PERFORMED FORMED

“Where might people like me be looking for it?”

ENTERS ENTERS DOCTORDOCTOR ROOM ROOM

“Knowing this word talking to the doctor would have been a lot easier” “Knowing this word talking to the doctor would have been a lot easier”

CALLED CALLED TO SEE A TO SEE A DOCTORDOCTOR

“Where is my language? This is overwhelming”

LEARN LEARN & & DISCOVER DISCOVER

“This is feeling a bit more like home. I finally get something.”

DIRECTREDIRECT NDING LANDING AGE PAGE

“Where is my language? This is overwhelming”

“I did it! And everything looks ok”

“I did it! And everything looks ok”

“This is less scary than I imagined”

“This is less scary than I imagined”

“How can I talk to him now??”

“How can I talk to him now??”

“Why are they calling me? Where should I go?”

“Why are they calling me? Where should I go?”

“Ok, this looks failry easy”

“Ok, this looks failry easy”

contribute contribute use use

DEPARTS DEPARTS FROM FROM CLINIC CLINIC

UPLOADS UPLOADS NEW ITEM NEW ITEM

WIREFRAMING

INTERACTING WITH A “TONGUE” THROUGH SMARTPHONE

go to homepage

main menu

add translation

home health categories

side scrolling French

Farsi

German

Urdu

Arabic

written translation

audio pronunciation pictogram

your translation has been added!

health categories

language list audio

side scrolling

feedback

German

Arabic

Farsi

writing Urdu

side scrolling

French

audio

phonetics

sadar

add translation

scroll down