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Friends United
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March/April 2010
Doing Business Bilingually
By Ray Treadway
The Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) was established in 1937 at a World Conference of Friends, with the primary goal of promoting consultation among Friends in different yearly meetings throughout the world. A year later the American Section was organized and a process of formally affiliating yearly meetings was developed. The Section of the Americas provides resources in Spanish and English on Friends’ beliefs, testimonies and organizations, as well as on Friends’ current work in the Americas and around the world. Currently there are more than 40 yearly meetings in the Americas, from Alaska and Canada to Peru and Bolivia, affiliated with the Section of Americas. Each affiliated yearly meeting appoints 4–12 official representatives, based on the membership size of the yearly meeting. An Annual Meeting (open to anyone who wishes to attend) is held each spring to conduct business, share in worship and join in plenary sessions and workshops.
Carrying out business under these conditions requires some special arrangements.
First, because some of the representatives understand only English and some understand only Spanish, it is necessary to carry out all sessions in both languages, with an elaborate process of interpretation. Volunteer interpreters and translators must be recruited. All documents must be translated and made available in both languages, with the process starting well before the time of Annual Meeting. Microphones and ear phones must be gathered and made available at the site. In some sessions there can be simultaneous translation when the presentation has been written in advance and translated in advance. In the business sessions, with comments and reflections from the floor, and in unprogrammed worship, with spontaneous vocal ministry, the translation must be done consecutively.
Consecutive translation slows down the business process, calling us back to a meditative and prayerful frame of mind. We are reminded that as a minute of a decision is stated in one language, in the face of the meeting, that all must wait to indicate approval or to react with additional comments until the minute is translated. While the process of hearing the minute read twice might seem tedious, it is important to do so in order that all who attend can participate in making the decisions.
Second, it is a challenge to be sure that all representatives understand the background and the reasons for the recommendations made by committees and program groups which meet throughout the year. The electronic newsletters and many documents-in-advance, which are available on the FWCC Web site (www.fwccamericas.org), are helpful but not adequate. In order to provide the opportunity for additional involvement and understanding of the issues, particularly recommendations for some changes in governance that came before the 2009 business meeting, the Executive Committee decided to reorganize the schedule for that Annual Meeting to plan and arrange to have a threshing session, where information was shared — but no decisions made — prior to the beginning of the first business session.
The Executive Committee wrote: “We anguished over how to combine required business with our desire to make the Annual Meeting welcoming, interesting and inclusive … [Members of the planning committee] should take the lead in preparing the documents, getting them out in advance and running the threshing sessions. Threshing sessions will include background, governance structure and feedback, with an initial presentation to the entire group, followed by small group discussions. [Those in charge] will meet jointly Thursday evening to consider the feedback.”
Responses about the threshing session were generally favorable, e.g: “The small breakouts were critical for reducing fear of change — brilliant. This was a good opportunity to have a real discussion prior to the business agenda.”
At its November 2009 meeting the Executive Committee considered the results of an online survey and ideas generated from a focus group of Friends in their 20s and 30s. Among the top responses was a request for local FWCC events, bringing together Friends from all branches of Quakerism. The Executive Committee approved bringing a proposal to the 2010 Annual Meeting that the Section focus its priority on local gatherings around the theme of the upcoming 2012 World Conference of Friends, “Salt and Light.” We will follow up on our experience of last year by holding a threshing session prior to business meeting to present the proposal and to facilitate a full discussion. These discussions and the business sessions to follow will be done bilingually, so all may participate.
We invite all to join us at the 2010 Annual Meeting, March 18–22, in Maryland.
Ray Treadway is clerk of FWCC.