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
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