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Thuringia is fighting against language barriers: 1 million euros for interpreters!
Thuringia invests annually in an interpreting program to overcome language barriers in authorities by 2026.
Thuringia is fighting against language barriers: 1 million euros for interpreters!
The Free State of Thuringia continues to invest heavily in overcoming language barriers. As the Borken newspaper reports, the Ministry of Migration has decided to extend the existing interpreter program until the end of 2026. Every year, one million euros flow into the program, which is intended to provide important support for immigrants.
But how does it all work? The interpreting services are conveniently provided via video or audio connection. This has the advantage that the services are also available in rural areas without interpreters available at short notice. In the period from October 2023 to September 2025, over 70,000 conversations have already been carried out in around 54 languages.
Diversity of languages and areas of application
The Thuringian Ministry of Justice, Migration and Consumer Protection has been supporting interpreting services since 2019. The focus is particularly on important areas such as health, justice, asylum, education and municipalities. What is particularly noteworthy is that the services are also available for rare languages such as Swahili or Tigre. The Website of the Thuringian State Administration Office mentions, among others, Linga Tel GmbH as a service provider that offers interpreting services in over 50 languages and is available around the clock, even if there are sometimes longer waiting times on weekends and at night.
The demand for such services is high as language barriers make participation and understanding in an increasingly multicultural society difficult. As in an article by Lingua World As explained, language is the key to successful exchange and understanding. Barriers to communication, whether due to a lack of verbal or non-verbal skills, can prevent people from participating in social processes.
Who are the services intended for?
The interpretation services are available to authorized institutions free of charge. These include, among others:
- Landesverwaltungen (z.B. Bürgerbeauftragter, Antidiskriminierungsstelle)
- Beratungsstellen (z.B. Migrationsberatung, Lebensberatung)
- Behörden für Prostituiertenschutz
- Frauenhäuser und Frauenzentren
- Erstaufnahmeeinrichtungen und Gemeinschaftsunterkünfte für Geflüchtete
- Justiz (z.B. Gerichte, Justizvollzugsanstalten)
- Kindertagesstätten, Schulen und Jugendhilfe
- Landespolizeiinspektionen
- Krankenhäuser und niedergelassene Ärzte
Anyone who is interested can register using the contact form at the Thuringian Ministry of Justice, Migration and Consumer Protection. After checking the access authorization, the facilities receive personal access data.
In summary, it can be seen that Thuringia's interpreting program makes an important contribution to promoting communication between people of different backgrounds. The willingness to provide financial support and the wide availability of services could ultimately lead to language barriers in society becoming increasingly smaller.