An Honest Review of Working Across The Language Barrier by Alex Rowlinson

Mwiriwe, ça va, habari yako?

How many languages did you recognise there? From what I’ve found in Rwanda so far, nearly everyone is multilingual, but English is often the third or fourth language, if spoken at all. Unless you know French, you might have to get by with hand gestures for a while, until you learn some Kinyarwanda. 

At first, the language barrier may seem daunting. Crowds hush as you pass, someone might shout something at you, there might even be laughing! Don’t worry though, it's curiosity not hostility. Sometimes people will shout English at you, but the local accents take awhile to get used to so you might not even recognise it at first. But as time goes on and with the help of your local counterpart you’ll begin to decode some of what's going on and feel more comfortable. 

I’ll be the first to admit I still haven’t broken down the language barrier after four weeks, but I’ve certainly made progress. The shouts from before, I now, understand to be people asking how I am, or general greetings, and I’ve learnt how to say please and thank you!

Muraho, mwiriwe and amakuru are the most common, meaning hello, good evening and how are you, respectively, and everyone loves it when you can say these few words, so it never hurts to say hello to people as you pass! More advanced terms and sentences can be translated by your counterpart, or yourself, if you know French. 

However, the language barrier can become a serious issue when working in the field, trying to talk without a counterpart, or situations like the dinner table or meetings where the counterparts are involved directly in the talks, therefore unable to translate for you. When working with some beneficiaries English is basically non-existent, so your counterpart is vital, you won’t be able to do any work without them. When talking alone to Rwandans you’ll probably find yourself totally misunderstood and unable to express yourself outside of one word phrases and hand gestures. For example, yesterday I went to the barbers and after a trim, the barber thought I wanted him to shave off my eyebrows before I stopped him! For the other situations where the counterparts are involved themselves you might feel sidelined, but it's very important to understand that the counterparts are trying their utmost to keep you involved. 

Just make sure afterwards to ask what happened if it's formal, or if it's an active conversation at the dinner table, just ask some questions in English to remind them you can’t speak Kinyarwanda or ask your counterpart to help you get involved. Your accent could also be an issue as well, as Rwandans are only used to American accents, so make sure to speak slowly and stress your pronunciation. However, don’t stress about it too much, miscommunication is bound to happen but while it might seem awkward it's never as bad as you feel it is, and the Rwandans will never get frustrated over the language barrier, especially your counterpart who will always be there to support you.

Alex and Bertrand

It might be worth learning a few words and phrases in multiple languages, that way you can fil

l gaps in your vocabulary, if there are any problems. Menus at restaurants are usually a 50/50 split of French and English, but some dishes have bad translations or just French, so it's always a good idea to brush up on your foods, for example the words for egg, milk, fish and cheese are always helpful. 

My counterpart personally stresses how vital it is to communicate with him to breach the language barrier, both in social life and the workplace. He felt that without a counterpart, UK volunteers can’t form bonds with local Rwandans, or even buy things from shops easily. His most important observation was that the language barrier is at its most frustrating at the home, where it can be the most awkward to not be understood by your host family, but he felt that with counterparts’ help this can be overcome easily enough. Knowing French was also a good tip from him, as nearly all Rwandans have studied French and it can help if there is an English word, which is hard to explain. 

Overall, while the language barrier here can be frustrating, don’t be too daunted by it. Hand gestures and small phrases will get you through most situations, and for the harder ones you can always find an in country volunteer to help you out. Just remain calm, don’t feel stupid or embarrassed, it happens to everyone, instead try to take it in your stride and see the humorous side of the situation. If you know French, then you’ll often have no issues at all communicating with people, though quickly learning the local language is a great idea regardless of what you already know! Remember, practice makes perfect!