Centre for Harmony and Enhancement of Ethnic Minority Residents (CHEER)

Multilingual VCD to introduce how to use CHEER’s Interpretation Services

Two VCDs that are recorded in Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu languages were produced as part of CHEER’s dedication to help the ethnic minority (EM) service users in knowing how to use CHEER’s interpretation and translation services properly especially our one of a kind Telephone Interpretation Service (TELIS).

Three episodes recorded in the VCDs featuring three different interpretation services that CHEER offers:

1. TELIS. It is the most convenient interpretation service offered in Hong Kong and it is free of charge.  It is easy to use by simply dialing the interpretation hotline numbers and once connected; our interpreters are there to provide interpreting service.  This service will not only save the time but also will save users’ transportation money. 

2. On-site (Escort) Interpretation Service (EIS) which facilitate face-to-face communication between service users and service providers in the presence of CHEER’s interpreters and;

3. On-sight Interpretation Service (OSIS).  This service is for service users who received letters written in English which they cannot understand.  The users can visit the centre during drop-in hours in which CHEER’s interpreter can provide a verbal explanation of the content of the documents in the users’ native languages. 

It is hope that EM users could get access of our interpretation services thus facilitate their access to other public services such as social welfare, housing and employment etc. Thus, this VCD was produced for the good of all the EM living in Hong Kong as well as all public service providers serving them.

Copies of the VCDs are available from CHEER.  To obtain a copy or to find out more about our interpretation and translation services, please call 3106 3104 or email to cheer@hkcs.org for Ms. Chan.

CHEER Scholarship 2011

Preparation Course on GCSE Exam in Chinese

Program Application form-GCSE course

CHEER is reaching out to your community

Outreach is one of the working strategies that CHEER applies to enhance ethnic minority groups’ awareness on services available at CHEER as well as in Hong Kong. To establish close contacts with various ethnic minority groups, we go to places of worships, schools, public housing estates, and places where many ethnic minority communities would gather and socialize. Pre-arranged programmes and activities are organized or we simply set up information booth and distribute useful information.

In the process, we are able to talk to people directly, identify their needs, and learn more about their community profile so that we can provide more appropriate services for them. Due to the efforts, more ethnic minorities had joined CHEER and are now enjoying a wide-variety of programmes.

Cooperation with Sikh Temple 

CHEER always tries to cooperate with different parties in delivering the services for the ethnic minorities. This is our first attempt to conduct programmes in Sikh Temple (Gurudwara). With the kind assistance and cooperation of the personnel of Sikh Temple, our English and Chinese classes were organized in the Temple every Sunday.

This is the day when most people from Sikh community visit Gurudwara. After finishing their prayers, they can stay behind and joint our on-spot languages classes.

Generally speaking, most of the students found the programmes very beneficial and useful. Here were their feedbacks:

Before I joined the English class I didn’t know the terms used in English for relations like nephew, niece, mother-in-law and all the in-law relations. Now I am familiar with all of these. 

I didn’t know how to write the date, didn’t know the difference between weekday and weekend, didn’t know what eggplant is. This is, indeed, very encouraging and convincing for us. Now, I can write the date, can differentiate between weekday and weekend. I also know that eggplant is the other name for brinjal.