{"id":2974,"date":"2020-04-15T19:07:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T19:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/?p=2974"},"modified":"2024-08-22T14:28:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T14:28:32","slug":"signage-language-rohingya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/translatorswithoutborders.org\/blog\/signage-language-rohingya\/","title":{"rendered":"Signage language: helping Rohingya refugees find their way"},"content":{"rendered":"
Bangla: \u09b8\u09be\u0987\u09a8\u09ac\u09c7\u09be\u09b0\u09cd\u09a1\u09c7\u09b0 \u09ad\u09be\u09b7\u09be: \u0995\u200d\u09cd\u09af\u09be\u09ae\u09cd\u09aa\u09c7\u09b0 \u09ad\u09c7\u09a4\u09b0\u09c7 \u09b0\u09c7\u09be\u09b9\u09bf\u0999\u09cd\u0997\u09be \u09b6\u09b0\u09a3\u09be\u09b0\u09cd\u09a5\u09c0\u09a6\u09c7\u09b0\u2026\u09b0\u09be\u09b8\u09cd\u09a4\u09be \u0996\u09c1\u0981\u099c\u09c7 \u09aa\u09c7\u09a4\u09c7 \u09b8\u09be\u09b9\u09be\u09af\u200d\u09cd\u09af \u0995\u09b0\u09be\u09b0 \u099c\u09a8\u200d\u09cd\u09af<\/a><\/pre>\n
\"SignageHere is a question we asked Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh:<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201c<\/i><\/b>Oney ki kemfor modotor ghoror sainbudhgin buzonne<\/i><\/b>?\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Having some trouble understanding what this question means?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Well, you\u2019re not alone. The majority of refugees we asked, over 80%, would also have trouble answering this question, but for a different reason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
We\u2019ll revisit this question again in a moment. First, it is important to note the levels of illiteracy amongst Rohingya refugees. The low levels stem partly from the fact that Rohingya is a verbal language, with very limited use of it in written form in any alphabet. Even with English, the most popular written language amongst the community, only 31% of those we spoke to recently can read it. Their ability is mostly at a basic level, with almost half of those reading only numbers or recognizing letters. This makes communicating information using signs very challenging.\u00a0 Information must be provided in forms that are understandable to those who need it. But what if this illiteracy also applies to western forms of graphics as well as written languages? Where arrow symbols, emojis, and pictograms are as hard to interpret as French or Japanese to Rohingya refugees? How then do we create visual signs to show people the way without using established graphic standards and words?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
What was the question?<\/b><\/h3>\n
The question put to you earlier – \u201c<\/strong><\/span>Oney ki kemfor modotor ghoror sainbudhgin buzonne?”<\/i><\/strong> – translates to “Do you understand the signage for services in your camp?\u201d The answer was a resounding \u201cno!\u201d for 65% of those surveyed (261 out of 404).<\/span><\/p>\n
Finding your way\u2026 through the camps (or not)<\/b><\/h2>\n
This is the problem Translators without Borders was asked to look at within the sprawling refugee camps of Cox\u2019s Bazar in Bangladesh. Since 2017 these camps are home to more than 850,000 Rohingya refugees. They also accommodate more than 130 national and international organizations and agencies offering assistance to the Rohingya community. Meeting the needs of a city-sized population of close to a million people is no easy feat. Like all \u201ccity\u201d populations, the residents of these refugee camps need a range of services to meet their daily needs. Locating these services can be a challenge. There are no smartphones with Google Maps or street maps. Residents are not allowed to access the internet, nor are there detailed street directories or maps of the camps. So, maybe they should just follow the signs? Not if you do not understand these either.<\/span><\/p>\n
Services such as medical clinics, food distribution centers and information hubs are scattered throughout tens of thousands of makeshift homes and buildings. Each must be found by navigating the maze of thousands of roads and alleys which snake through the camps. Making your way from point A to point B is not always straightforward, including when it comes to critical and even lifesaving services such as hospitals. While the camps are littered with signs, these come in a variety of format, style, color, and language combinations, many of which lead to confusion. The camp management staff who work in the camps had observed something problematic: many camp residents were getting lost. They saw a need for clear directional signage to guide residents to their destinations and, as it turns out, so did the community.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
What did we do?<\/b><\/h3>\n
In January 2019, we set out to find out what was going on with signage in the camps. Our goal was to work with the community to develop signs they understand. The research focused on developing signs for the following key services and facilities:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n