Sunday, October 18, 2020

Swaranjit Singh Khalsa:Norwich Bridging Language Barriers For Covid Talks

Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, a Member of The World Sikh Parliament and Norwich Board of Education Displays Sign in Multiple Languages At the city of  Norwich's Covid-19 Press Conference.

NORWICH - Even though it’s easy to see new information and updates on COVID-19, it still may be difficult for people who don’t speak English as their first language to keep informed on the Pandemic.

In Norwich, a multilingual city, dozens of languages are spoken within the school district, making it crucial to share information about the pandemic with those who don’t speak English.Swaranjit Singh Khalsa helping to bridge those language barriers. “ they will pay more attention to the sign which is written in their language and they can understand the value of the message," said Khalsa.

Swaranjit Singh has created a batch of signs reminding people to wear their masks. The signs are available in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Punjabi, Albanian, Chinese, Hebrew, Irish, French, Russian and Arabic. 

It’s important for Swaranjit Singh to have people see messages about preventing COVID in their first language. “They can understand the sensitivity of the issue, and understand that it’s not for our own benefit, but the benefit of the community,” Khalsa said. 



So far, he has sent his signs to the City of Norwich, and to state politicians, including Gov. Ned Lamont, and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, hoping the signs will be used statewide.

https://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20201008/norwich-finds-ways-around-language-barriers-when-talking-about-covid?
https://www.facebook.com/khalsa7

Dr. Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
University of Delhi





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