In a European Works Council meeting, having interpreters in the room is essential.
But linguistic inclusion goes beyond providing interpretation.
An EWC brings together employee representatives, management, different languages, cultures and communication styles — often to discuss complex and sometimes sensitive issues.
Small choices in how the meeting is run can make a significant difference to whether delegates feel able to participate fully.
✨ Allow space to think and respond.
EWC representatives may be listening through interpretation, processing detailed information and preparing a question or response. A few extra seconds can make a real difference.
✨ Keep management presentations clear.
Long sentences, unexplained acronyms, corporate jargon and slides overloaded with text make an interpreter’s job harder — but, more importantly, they can make information harder for employee representatives to understand.
✨ Build interpretation time into the meeting.
Interpretation is part of the communication process, not an interruption to it. Speakers need to pause, avoid speaking over one another and allow sufficient time for questions and answers.
✨ Remember that participation looks different across cultures.
Some representatives will intervene readily; others may wait to be invited or need more time before speaking. Silence does not necessarily mean agreement or lack of interest.
✨ Make room for every delegation.
An EWC should not become a meeting dominated by those who are most confident speaking English or most comfortable taking the floor.
For me, successful multilingual EWC communication is not simply about ensuring that everyone can hear the same information.
It is about creating the conditions in which employee representatives can understand it, question it and contribute to the discussion on equal terms.
And sometimes, that starts with something as simple as slowing down.