Compass - Setting Mgrants and Refugees in the Right Direction

Project summary

In March 2016, Eurostat reported that more than 1.25 million people have claimed asylum in the EU in 2015, which is a reliable figure although not all migrants claim asylum. The key objective of this project is therefore to enable migrants and receiving authorities and volunteers to be able to communicate far more effectively with each other. We will develop a platform (available for both PC and phone) that contains basic vocabulary, including phrases particularly relevant to migrants and the situations they face (1000 words and phrases in total). Our research clearly indicates that most migrants carry a mobile telephone (understandably, so they can communicate back to their home and families; and with each other if groups are separated). Their telephones are usually pre-paid, they typically arrange to carry international chargers and many carry sim cards for use in different European countries. The language content will cover the 5 most widely spoken migrant languages and the 7 most relevant EU languages. Any one language can be instantaneously translated into any of the other twelve languages. This provides a highly flexible tool that caters for the wide number of possible language combinations between migrants and authorities in receiving countries. In achieving the overall aim of far more effective communication between receiving countries and migrants, the following objectives will be pursued. Authorities and volunteers will be better able to communicate with migrants by: 1 clarifying legal and statutory status and responsibilities. 2 describing support that is available - such as food, shelter and clothing. 3 clarifying short term or urgent needs and support, such as healthcare and onward travel options. The key results will be: 1 A mobile telephone and internet based learning application will be developed through a unique collaboration which enables instantaneous and fully flexible translation between 5 key migrant languages and 7 key languages spoken in receiving countries. 2 The project will develop a partnership between the language experts, the support and volunteer agencies and the ICT provider to enable the most user friendly and flexible tool to be tailored to the needs of all users. The tool will allow two way translation and learning of key words and phrases needed, particularly in early contacts. This will include categories around health, legal issues, transport and women’s issues. Both support agencies and migrants will be able to personalise their own vocabulary library, adding and subtracting words and phrases as needed. 3 200 individuals as a minimum will test and validate the platform, learners being drawn from the 5 target migrant groups and the target 5 receiving countries. 4 Total usage levels will be monitored - we expect open access traffic to exceed 2000 users by project end and at least 5 additional migrant/ asylum support agencies to have adopted its use. 5. An impact report containing case studies and evaluating the relevance and use of the compass tool including its applicability and dissemination success. We will adapt the technology from our eLSi and EasySpeak projects to this project so it works seamlessly on mobile telephones. Our research suggests that most migrants already have mobile telephones. Or, they can easily access one because most travel in groups where some other group members are very likely to have mobile telephones. The languages will be: Greek, Italian, Turkish, German, Spanish, French and English, Albanian, Dari, Pashto, Kurdish, Arabic