Parent-teacher conferences, brief conversations when dropping off or picking up children, information about field trips, sick notes or appointments: everyday school life thrives on communication. But what happens when parents do not speak enough German – or when information could be translated, but other obstacles arise? This is precisely what Marie Tschurtschenthaler addresses in her dissertation at the Institute for Translation Studies at the University of Graz. The focus is on communication between Austrian compulsory schools and parents whose first language is not German – and the importance of interpreting and translating in this context. At the same time, the work highlights how the school as an institution affects parental participation.
22 languages in one location
The situation is examined on the basis of two primary schools in Graz. According to Tschurtschenthaler, up to 22 different languages are represented there. "This diversity encounters a school system that is legally clearly oriented towards German as the standard language of instruction and institutional communication," she explains. In practice, this is particularly evident in situations that actually happen "on the side": a doctor's appointment the next day, a child falling ill at school, information about a school trip arriving in writing, or a parent-teacher meeting becoming necessary. If adequate language mediation is not available, key information can be lost – with consequences for parents, children and school staff. "If this is not possible at the parent-teacher level, then in many cases the child itself is used as an interpreter," explains Tschurtschenthaler.
Digital tools help – but not always
Many now rely on digital communication channels. In the primary schools surveyed, for example, an app with a translation function in numerous languages is used. This can make many things easier – but it also has its limitations: automatic translations work differently depending on the language, and not all parents can use digital services in the same way. "In some cases, there is a lack of basic knowledge, such as the right devices, limited digital skills or even literacy," explains the South Tyrolean.
When children translate
When professional solutions are lacking, children, older siblings or multilingual people from the school environment are often called upon to help. This is not only a question of the burden on those involved, but also of appropriateness – especially when it comes to sensitive topics. Schools try to find pragmatic solutions, "but the effort involved is often very high and people are taken away from their actual work".
Video interpreting
A key resource is video interpreting, which has been used as official support in schools since 2021. Depending on the language, interpreters can be requested by schools via a platform and connected at short notice in some cases. This creates opportunities, especially for important conversations. At the same time, the digital setting is not always ideal in sensitive cases and trust is sometimes more difficult to build, according to the doctoral candidate.
In her research, Tschurtschenthaler combines perspectives from teaching and translation studies. Methodologically, she specifically observed parents' evenings in autumn 2024 and conducted interviews with school administrators, teachers, integration teachers, school social workers, administrative staff and parents throughout the 2024/25-2025/26 school years. She spoke to a total of around 25 people in her survey; further parent interviews are planned in order to bring perspectives even closer together.
Her goal is to "raise awareness of an issue that has long affected many schools." "I want to highlight the discrepancy between expectations and reality," explains the young researcher. She also wants to use the results to derive guidelines for successful communication – always with the caveat that good solutions require resources: time, personnel, training and access to professional language mediation.