The client is a Ghana-based civil society research organisation that advances better health through locally generated research, community-driven solutions, and evidence-informed policy. They work across the research-to-impact continuum, including health research, researcher training and mentorship, community-based interventions, knowledge translation, and policy engagement. The organisation collaborates with universities, health institutions, communities, civil society organisations, and development partners to strengthen research capacity and ensure that evidence informs health decision-making.
Bolingo Consult was engaged to provide professional interpretation services for a stakeholder workshop. The workshop brought together participants to contribute their perspectives to the development of a framework focused on protecting children's health and advancing health equity in the context of climate-related disasters. To ensure meaningful participation and language accessibility, proceedings were conducted across two dedicated focus groups: one for parents and one for children — with interpretation provided in English, Ewe, Gonja, and Dagbani. The sessions included eight Ewe speakers, two Gonja speakers, and two Dagbani speakers. The interpretation setup required a flexible approach that supported small-group interaction without disrupting the flow of conversation.
The primary challenge was ensuring participants could engage comfortably and meaningfully in their preferred languages. With two simultaneous focus groups, we needed adaptable communication strategies that would allow all participants to follow the dialogue, share personal experiences, and ask questions without significant delay. This was critical, as the workshop's focus on children, parents, health equity, and climate-related risks relied heavily on the participants' lived experiences - such environments often render costly simultaneous interpretation setups impractical and inflexible.
To seamlessly manage the group dynamics, Bolingo Consult deployed a hybrid interpretation arrangement combining mobile interpretation equipment with whispered interpretation. This approach enabled interpreters to work directly within the respective focus groups while maintaining the natural flow of discussion. The mobile interpretation equipment provided a practical means for participants to receive interpreted communication within the workshop environment, while whispered interpretation offered more direct, low-disruption language support where required.