4. Administrative services to support inclusion

In general, UCPH follows the policy of parallel language use where “communication at and from the University should happen in the language (Danish or English) that is most relevant in the given situation – or in both languages if that is the most relevant and appropriate”.

The policy states that all important information from the Rector’s Office, the Central Administration and from the faculties that is relevant for all employees and/or all students at UCPH or at the individual faculty, including collaboration committees and other formal bodies, should be available in both Danish and English. Furthermore, the policy stresses that communication should be available in both Danish and English in situations where the audience is broad or its preferred language is unknown, and when the communication has an impact on:

• employees’ ability to carry out their tasks effectively
• employees’ ability to influence their workplace
• employees’ rights and obligations in relation to their conditions of employment
• social integration in the workplace.

You can read more about the policy for parallel language use on KU-net.

In the interests of creating an inclusive and safe work (and study) environment at UCPH, internal communication through KU-net, information screens, newsletters, and signage should always be in both Danish and English. This is the responsibility of central communication offices at Nørregade and of the communication departments at each faculty. Furthermore, student diplomas are already produced in both Danish and English through the exam administration.

In order to ensure uniform translations of concepts and activities across the university, translations should be based on the information from the translation units and the translation tools (KU Translate, KU-lex and Memsource) (see Principle 1.4 and Principle 4.1).

A lot of communication material is produced every day at the university and not always by the same people sitting in the same unit. So, how do we make sure that the translation of relevant information happens at the right time and as precisely as possible?

One way could be through stressing the importance of this part of the language policy for smooth internal and external communication across all units at the university. Easy access to guidelines and translation tools for all staff members is also helpful. Already now, templates for diplomas and other documents are available in both Danish and English through the KU word license, but perhaps not all staff members are aware of the existence of, or see the importance of, using these templates.
Therefore, it’s important to see the use of more than one language as a central part of the university being an inclusive work environment as an international and multilingual workplace; it is up to management and staff alike to support this and ensure that it is realised in practice.

Finally, we would recommend adopting the mindset that if someone asks for a translation, it should be regarded as an expression of interest. We know that in a busy work environment, translations do not always take first priority in the communication hierarchy. However, it is better to include just a short summary in the other language when communicating internally rather than no translation at all.

CIP offers translation services especially from Danish to English. If you’re interested in knowing more about what we offer at CIP and our prices, please contact us at cip@hum.ku.dk or by phone +45 35 32 86 39.