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The event is organized by the 'French and More' project at Saarland University, led by Professor Claudia Polzin-Haumann, together with the Saarbrücken Regional Adult Education Centre and the SaarMoselle Eurodistrict. Professionals and practitioners from across the healthcare sector are warmly invited to attend.
The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
In the healthcare sector, language barriers are more than just a hindrance. If the emergency doctor or GP does not understand the symptoms described by the patient, or if the nurse or pharmacist misinterprets what is said, this can have life-threatening consequences. On 3 February, the Cross-Border Health Day/Journée transfrontalière de la santé will bring together stakeholders from various areas of healthcare in the Saarland-Lorraine border region under the motto "Languages at the heart of exchanges/Les langues au cœur des échanges". "With this event, we want to offer experts from society, politics and practice a platform for networking and exchange. Our goal is to raise awareness of multilingualism in the workplace and to highlight the initiatives and services that already exist in our border region to promote languages in the healthcare sector," explains linguist Claudia Polzin-Haumann from Saarland University.
Together with her team at the Chair of Romance Linguistics and the vhs Landesverband (adult education association), Claudia Polzin-Haumann has already designed the language course "French for Work – Healthcare" in two levels, basic and advanced. The course is offered as part of the programme of the VHS of the Saarbrücken Regional Association. It is aimed at anyone working in healthcare and teaches language skills for everyday working life in practical online modules. Other language-specific projects and offers will also be presented on 3 February. "We want to help ensure that linguistic aspects are no longer seen as an obstacle in the field of cross-border healthcare, for example through tandem partnerships or practical workshops on multilingualism in the workplace. Communication across language barriers is a key prerequisite for cooperation between the various players in the Greater Region," emphasises Claudia Polzin-Haumann.
Participation in the cross-border health day is free of charge.
Registration is possible via the website of the vhs Regionalverband Saarbrücken under course number 3570: https://www.vhs-saarbruecken.de/
The event is sponsored by Interface Santé SaarMoselle, which is based in the Eurodistrict SaarMoselle. It is funded by the Saarland Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Women and Health, the Saarland State Chancellery, the Grand Est Region, the regional health agency ARS Grand Est and the Département Moselle. The aim of Interface is to strengthen and further expand cross-border health cooperation in the SaarMoselle region in the long term.
The French and More Project
Since 2022, "French and More" has been promoting French and multilingualism in Saarland. The project is based at the Chair of Romance Linguistics held by Professor Claudia Polzin-Haumann and at the Institute for Languages and Plurilingualism at Saarland University, and is funded by the State Chancellery. It aims to make language learning, especially French in Saarland, more attractive on the basis of linguistic research findings. The portal of the same name, "Französisch und mehr" (French and more), features monthly German-French event tips, several quizzes on French and Francophonie, and tips and tricks for language learning: https://www.saarland.de/franzoesisch-und-mehr.
The project is managed by Claudia Polzin-Haumann, who is also the representative for scientific Francophonie in Germany and heads the "Cellule francophone en Allemagne" research centre at Saarland University.
Questions answered by:
Prof. Dr Claudia Polzin-Haumann, Chair of Romance Linguistics Saarland University | Department of Romance Studies
Email:projekt-franzoesischundmehr(at)uni-saarland.de , Telephone: +49 (0)681 302-3325
Press photos available for download:
You may use the press photos free of charge in connection with this press release and reporting on Saarland University, provided you credit the photographer.
