2016-08-08
After crossing seas and walls, some asylum seeker arriving in Europe have to cross one more wired fence: one made of words.
Nine European countries apply a controversial linguistic test to check for the origin of undocumented asylum seekers. This technique, called LADO (Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin) has been questioned by courts and agencies in the UK and Sweden, after a chain of wrong nationality attributions.
A harsh academic battle is in place among linguists on which LADO method, if any, yields reliable results. However, the issue is not on the European Commission's agenda. On the contrary: the agreement signed by the European Union and Turkey on refugee management includes LADO in its toolbox.
Photo CC © Nora A-T
Supported
Grant of €8,100, allocated on 10/11/2015.
ID
2015/297
NEWSPAPER
- Die Grenzen der Sprache (DE) - Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), 7 October 2016
MAGAZINE
- El idioma, la última alambrada de los refugiados (ES) - El Periódico (Spain), 5 August 2016
- Cuatro casos controvertidos (ES) - El Periódico (Spain), 5 August 2016
- España aplica los exámenes lingüísticos sin ninguna regulación o control (ES) - El Periódico (Spain), 5 August 2016
- La vergüenza del intérprete (ES) - El Periódico (Spain), 5 August 2016
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