Free video and telephone interpreting services in 61 languages have been available to schools and kindergartens nationwide since April 2021. In the past two years, translation services totaling around 3,000 hours have been requested. For the more than 13,000 Ukrainian students in Austria, the project “We understand each other!” has now become a central tool, according to a broadcast by the Ministry of Education on Friday.
Communication difficulties between parents and teachers or problems caused by amateurish incomplete or incorrect translations were a central challenge at school, according to Minister of Education Martin Polaschek (ÖVP). “Through video interpreting, we provided a free solution made even more relevant by the war in Ukraine and the displacement of Ukrainian families.”
According to the broadcast, an interpreting service can be provided within a few minutes in the 17 most frequently required languages, and it can be booked within a few days for other languages. The project is fully funded by the European Social Fund. After a pilot project from November 2019 to June 2020, “We understand each other!” in Austria two years ago as the first country in Europe to be made available nationwide. The offer can be used until the end of June.
In addition to teaching staff, school doctors, school social workers, school psychologists and school psychiatrists can also access it free of charge. To date, around 1,400 educational institutions have used this service.