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Welcome!
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This page is dedicated to people who speak little or none of the national languages of Switzerland. Here you will find information about interpreting and the Se Comprendre, service provided by Caritas. A contact form also allows you to send us your feedback or questions directly in your language.
Contact Form
We remain at your disposal to answer your questions, provide you with more information, or simply listen to you regarding a session that did not take place as expected.
Your message will be handled by the service Se Comprendre with discretion: your name / your situation will not be communicated to others (for example, to interpreters) unless you provide us with explicit permission. You will receive a response within 7 working days.
The Role of the Interpreter
An interpreter is there to translate exchanges between you and the professionals. They may provide additional information, particularly cultural information, when it helps improve understanding. Interpreters are required to:
1- Comply with Professional Secrecy
Interpreters are not permitted to disclose or discuss what has been said during sessions outside of those sessions.
2- Transparency
Interpreters must declare any family or close personal relationships with the participants.
3- Obligation to Interpret Everything
Interpreters are required to translate everything said in the room, including anything requested not to be translated.
4- Impartiality
Interpreters agree to remain impartial and must not take part in the discussion. They do not have the right to give advice, guide beneficiaries, or otherwise influence their decisions.
Interpreters are subject to the deontological code of INTERPRET
The Rights of the Beneficiary
During a session, a beneficiary has the right to:
- request that statements be repeated or reformulated
- receive accurate information and fully understand what is communicated by the professional
Objectives of Community Interpreting
- Ensure migrants’ non-discriminatory access to public services and offers, as well as equitable treatment
- Guarantee the transmission of information and enable understanding of differences (of a cultural, socio-economic, societal, linguistic, belief-related nature, etc.)
- Create the conditions necessary for mutual understanding
Field Conditions
- In order to guarantee the proper conduct of the session, the specialist or practitioner organizes a brief exchange with the interpreter before and after the intervention
- The specialist assumes responsibility for conducting the meeting and clarifying uncertainties
- The participants are seated in a triadic arrangement
- The specialist ensures the necessary framework conditions (schedule, space, seating arrangement, visual contact, etc.)
- The participants use short, clear, and simple sentences
- The participants take turns speaking in order to facilitate consecutive interpreting
These rules ensure that the discussion takes place in appropriate conditions.
Contact Center
A support team is available to you.
Objective: to allow beneficiaries to voluntarily contact a mediator to request information or advice, receive guidance, obtain assistance with an administrative task, or simply find a listening ear.
Practical Information
Opening hours and languages
- Monday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Arabic, Kurdish (Badini and Kurmanji), English and Turkish at 079 567 89 71
- Monday: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Amharic and Tigrinya at 079 136 78 26
Location: Boulevard de Pérolles 55, 1700 Fribourg
*This service is reserved for beneficiaries of Caritas Switzerland.