BackgroundNon-European students and teachers arriving in Sweden have several employability and learning needs. To effectively integrate with the Swedish, communication is key and this is normally hindered by some barriers. Numerous attempts ranging from cultural, technological issues, climate and communication issues have been initiated and put in place to integrate with aid of these initiatives. Some of them are provision of small manuals pertaining the Swedish language, climatic patterns and sometimes provision of language teachers at the embassy level to help the immigrants in Sweden integrate and adopt.
Past studies clearly indicate that several aspects of technologies, climate and communication have been deployed in integrating non-European students with their Swedish colleagues. For instance, Swedish government has but in place fast-track initiatives to help and provide comfort to the newly arriving immigrants more so those in engineering sector and this was launched in February, 2015. Students and qualified non-European engineers arriving in Sweden, though with difficulties, had managed to slowly integrate due to these initiatives.
Marc J. Riemer, in his recent study, ‘Intercultural Communication Considerations in Engineering Education’ pointed out that there is increasing intercultural communications occasioned by superseding speed and relatively low cost in global transport, e-business and migration flows. This particular research further noted that initiatives put in place by authority like private institutions and foreign government of providing circulars and curricula is not sufficient in integrating the immigrants. It is also clear that new technologies (e-mail, satellites, cable TV and internet) have been effectively used in trying to help the non-European learnt the Sweden culture and thus integrating with their Swedish colleagues. Intercultural communications, be it verbal or written, is a very crucial tool in managing the organization and learning.(Stier, 2006) Several studies have successfully attempted to show how the culture, as a context-specific and ideology, have been used to aid the integration of immigrants in Sweden. Numerous aspect of culture like attitudes, firm’s culture, customs and beliefs of non-Europeans engineers and students have been effectively linked with integration initiatives and several measures like cultural days, different cultural values and interchanges put place in place. Despite all these, no clear connection how mobile apps can facilitate integration is shown.
Analyses of recent researches on these issues indicate that The Swedish government has incorporated empirical research on non-visual cues like emotional reactions and how they are interpreted in different cultures. This has greatly assisted the non-European in understanding both the written and verbal communication. Noteworthy, another important aspect of integrating the non-European engineers has been through alternative texts as far as engineering education is concerned. Engineering employees and students need sound knowledge in modeling and chemistry skills to run simulations of complex system beside higher mathematics. The Swedish government had provided online forums containing the models and contents needed to effectively learn or carry out engineering work. This has been crucial in integrating the foreigners in Sweden. Analyses on past reports revealed that mobile technology has been a crucial tool in supporting communication in work places of non-European engineers in Sweden. Several apps from mobile technology has to a great extent facilitated the activities and integration of non-European in Sweden.
Apps like GPS navigation device, an embedded web browser, wireless networking and mobile computing are some of the cellular communication techniques that have facilitated communication in workplaces thereby assisting the non-Europeans. Mobile Apps like Real-Time Engineer Information is a fine mobile technology that has seen through effective communication in workplaces and learning institutions as it allows for the ability to send push notification. The recent technology of indoor maps is a master piece in mobile technology advancement that has seen effective communication in workplaces as it easily facilitates navigation within the buildings for engineers. VMware workspace suite has provided a virtual work space where engineers can post, get and share information thus greatly assisting the newly arriving non-European engineers. ‘Personas and Locations’ are mobile app facilities that furnished engineers with all the information pertain their activities thus ensuring efficient workplace communication. Conversely, all these fail to interlink how mobile apps can be used foster integration factoring in the cultural differences of the immigrants.
A lot of efforts have been put in place to assist the immigrant engineers and students integrate in Sweden as vividly shown above. It also crystal clear that most of the integration challenges arises due to different cultures (Granered, 2006). To this effect, several aspects of culture including attitudes, beliefs, organization cultures and customs have been studied and their effect on integration shown. However, no past research has clearly indicated how cultural differences (language barrier) affect communication and integration in engineering employees and student in Sweden and more importantly how mobile apps, specifically mobile translation apps, can be used to foster integration. This knowledge gap therefore justifies this research topic and initiates the endeavor to carry out a research finding out the impact of mobile technology, translation apps, on integration of non-European engineers in Sweden base on their intercultural communication differences.
- Granered, E., 2006. Managing change across cultures.MultiLingual, 17, 8, 69-72.
- Stier, J., 2006. Internationalisation, intercultural communication and intercultural competence. J. of Intercultural Communication, 11, 1-11.
