‘We don’t worry that much about language’: street-level bureaucracy in the context of linguistic diversity

Abstract

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Linguistic Diversity as a Challenge for Street-Level Bureaucrats in a Monolingually-Oriented Organisation

“…Our previous research (Holzinger, 2020;Scheibelhofer & Holzinger, 2018;Scheibelhofer et al, 2020) identified difficulties in handling linguistic diversity-both among AMS clients and within the institution itself-which are evident in the language barriers and pressure experienced by street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky, 1980). In a previous study (Holzinger, 2020) we included input from the AMS' migrant clients and will additionally focus on their perspective in a future research project (the FWF Austrian Science Fund-financed project "Investigating the Social Construction of Deskilling Among 'New' EU Migrants in Vienna"). The ongoing project, however, is concerned with the internal perspective found within the institution; it investigates how AMS staff perceive handling linguistic diversity in their daily work routines as well as the associated problems and (both institutional and individual) solution strategies they describe.…”

“…A further differentiation in how foreign languages were used at the AMS arose between officials who drew on languages they learned after childhood, mainly standard school languages, and native speakers of common migrant languages (such as Turkish or Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian). Implicitly, a special and simultaneously ambiguous status was afforded to the latter (in detail see Holzinger, 2020): Although non-German counselling is not legally prohibited by the AMS, it was presented as undesirable. Interviewees described how this viewpoint was transmitted verbally by department managers and colleagues as well as through daily institutional routines.…”

“…Because participation in society is contingent upon labour market access, public employment services are central institutions regarding social equity, particularly in the context of migration-related diversity. When researching the Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) and how it addresses linguistic diversity, we observed both the absence of a coherent institutional strategy and an ensuing shift of language management-related responsibilities onto individuals (see also Holzinger, 2020).…”

“…Additionally, migrants within the EU-where a unique transnational social security system has been established-face substantial barriers when accessing welfare-related services and resources (Scheibelhofer & Holzinger, 2018;Seeleib-Kaiser & Pennings, 2018). For example, studies from Germany and Austria have shown that the enforcement of German as the language of administration and communication is the main informal barrier in this regard (Holzinger, 2020;Ratzmann, 2018). As Sabaté Dalmau, Garrido Sardà, and Codó (2017, p. 558) argue, migrants' access to key services for transnational survival "hinges upon the mobilization of 'appropriate' linguistic and communicative resources."…”

Identifying English Language Use and Communication Challenges Facing “Entry-Level” Workplace Immigrants in Canada

“…We did not have data on the nature and scope of their English language training either. A longitudinal study would be better in capturing the nuance of language use and challenges reflecting linguistic diversity and reality (Holzinger 2019). Our study was also conducted with immigrants only, without knowing how similar or different native English speakers use English in the workplace.…”