This book addresses, for the first time, the question of how development NGOs attempt to 'listen' to communities in linguistically diverse environments. NGOs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they 'listen' to the people and communities that they are trying to serve, but this can be an immensely challenging task where there are significant language and cultural differences. However, until now, there has been no systematic study of the role of foreign languages in development work. The authors present findings based on interviews with a wide range of NGO staff and government officials, NGO archives, and observations of NGO-community interaction in country case studies. They suggest ways in which NGOs can reform their language policies to listen to the recipients of aid more effectively.

Avoid jargon and expressions e.g. unique, ground-breaking, stellar, accessible, cutting edge Include information which isn't obvious from the book description above Mention if a book is especially topical or is likely to appeal in particular geographical areas Remember that artwork and contributors could be important selling points

Avoid jargon and expressions e.g. unique, ground-breaking, stellar, accessible, cutting edge Include information which isn't obvious from the book description above Mention if a book is especially topical or is likely to appeal in particular geographical areas Remember that artwork and contributors could be important selling points

This book addresses, for the first time, the question of how development NGOs attempt to 'listen' to communities in linguistically diverse environments. NGOs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that they 'listen' to the people and communities that they are trying to serve, but this can be an immensely challenging task where there are significant language and cultural differences. However, until now, there has been no systematic study of the role of foreign languages in development work. The authors present findings based on interviews with a wide range of NGO staff and government officials, NGO archives, and observations of NGO-community interaction in country case studies. They suggest ways in which NGOs can reform their language policies to listen to the recipients of aid more effectively.