All Graduates, The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development and (DEECD) the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) are working together on developing a Lexicon for use in the areas of Maternal and Child Health, ECIS, Kindergarten and Parenting.
The aim of the Lexicon Project is to ensure effective communication between early childhood service providers and clients with no or low English language proficiency.
A Draft Lexicon was distributed to all All Graduates' independent contractor interpreters in November 2009 inviting feedback, additional words and/or phrases and suggestions as to a simple English translation.
A Focus Group was assembled later that month of interpreters with extensive and recent experience in the DEECD areas of Maternal and Child Health, ECIS, Kindergarten and Parenting.
Lexicon Project Information flier
Project Updates
2 Dec 09
As Project Coordinator, Libby Matheson of CEH, is currently finalising the Lexicon terms to be included.
21 Dec 09
The consultation phase of the project is now complete. CEH Project Coordinator, Libby Matheson thanks all interpreters for their comments on the draft Lexicon that was circulated to All Graduates interpreters.
The following groups were also involved in the consultation phase that was designed to capture terms that may have impeded the flow of communication between the client, person of Non English Speaking Background and interpreter:
Parenting agencies, Maternal and Child Health centres, Early Childhood Intervention Services, Kindergartens, Bilingual FKA and Preschool Field Officers
The master list of terms identified by CEH and the consultations is more than 600 terms
They have been grouped into technical, medical and terms specific to the DEECD, departmental.
What’s next?
The Lexicon will be refined to ensure the it includes only the most useful terms. This is expected to be finalised by late February 2010.
21 Jan 10
Further information about the Project can be found at the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health's website