A new campaign by the Center for Integration of Foreigners called "Czechs and foreigners - let's be together!" aims to facilitate communication with people from abroad who learn the Czech language.

The media campaign consists of three video advertisements, depicting the three most common negative responses locals have to foreigners who approach them in Czech: refusing conversation in the Czech language and transitioning into English; increasing the volume of voice; and using the familiar form.

"A foreigner has to be considered a partner in communication. Everyone says: Let them learn Czech if they want to talk. They use wrong prepositions and speak with an accent when they try. We're not used to it and do not try to understand. But there are foreigners living with us and there always will be,” said Margaret Slezáková, who authored an instruction manual to help locals and foreigners converse more smoothly.

Barriers

According to the head of CIF, Vladislav Günter, locals will often refuse to communicate with foreigners in Czech and turn the conversation into English. "How do we expect a person to integrate when we refuse to talk to them in Czech?" said Günter. According to him, the campaign should not present the problems, but rather the barriers "that we build between us."

One of the advertisements shows a young woman at a station trying to buy a ticket to Brno. She speaks with a strong French accent; the woman at the ticket office does not understand her and starts raising her voice. Her colleague, who helps out with simple words and gestures, solves the situation.

In the second advertisement, an American orders in Czech in a cafe, but the waiter repeats everything in English. The man therefore continues in fluent English, but the staff does not understand. The third story takes place at a convenience store, where the customers use the familiar form with an Asian vendor. But when the vendor goes to an office, he addresses the clerk in the same informal way.

Incremental steps

Simple rules for basic communication in Czech are summarized in a guide that can be used by everyone from office clerks, teachers and NGOs to friends of immigrants. It recommends speaking in simple sentences with basic vocabulary, without using passive forms or jargon, and speaking at a slower rate.

Good words to use are the ones in the first or fourth case (i.e., in the basic form without different endings). It is not necessary to raise the volume. Gestures and pictures help, just as using internationally recognized words such as "problem", "international" or "reservation." The information should be specific, possibly divided into incremental steps. An important message is best put down in writing. Text messages or e-mails are therefore more convenient than a phone call.

The campaign is part of the project "Common region - with foreigners as with fellow citizens."