Transkription des Interviews mit "Flüchtling 1"

F1001 I: Now it is working. Ok, I will just try, you can say something, your name maybe...

F1002 F: Ok....

F1003 I: Ah, you don't need to give me your name, ah that's ok, just where you are from, your age and since when you are in Germany.

F1004 F: Äh, see, ah, I have been in Germany approximately three months, I am from Somalia and my age is thirty years old.

F1005 I: Ok, one moment, I will see if ... ok,... now I think we will start and let it run until the end...ok, until the whole interview is finished.

F1006 F: Ok, ok...

F1007 I: Ok, so maybe once more you could tell where you are from, your age and since when you are in Germany?

F1008 F: Ähh..., ok, I can describe myself, as Mister A, from Somalia and I have been here in Germany more than three months, three months and two weeks I think. Äh..., my age is thirty years old

F1009 I: Ok, and you are from which country?

F1010 F: From Somalia...

F1011 I: Ah...,ok...

F1012 F: From Mogadischu.

F1013 I: All right..., so maybe you could tell me which languages you know to speak?

F1014 F: Ähm..., normaly there is Somali language, it is local Somali language, call it Somali, I can speak it. Also english...and arabic, I can say, not a hundred percent..., but a fifty percent...

F1015 I: Yeah, ok...

F1016 F: Ah, äh, so english and arabic... and I hope that also deutsch will be one of my speaking languages...

F1017 I: Ok..., the next question..., maybe you could tell me in which situations do you have contact with the "Ausländerbehörde"?... In situations where you have to speak and also in situations where they send letters to you?

F1018 F: Äh, "Ausländerbehörde?"

F1019 I: Yeah...

F1020 F: Yeah, we have some miner problems to communicate with this authorities

F1021 I: Ja...

F1022 F: Ähhm, the biggest issue is for the...äh... for the language. They ask us to bring a translator

F1023 I: Jah..

F1024 F: or interpretor...ähnd.. we don't have here,...we are new in Germany. And as little time we have been here, we couldn't afford to speak in deutsch... ähm, we can speak english when we go there, but they don't allow us to do that...

F1025 I: Ok, one moment... the problems, they will come later exactly..., now the first question is only, when do you have contact with them... or,... when do you have to go there? Which situations?

F1026 F: You mean at what time we go there?

F1027 I: Yeah...

F1028 F: Äh, as soon as you have been transfered here, ähm... you should contact them... at the first days... for communication dificulties you are feeling at that time

F1029 I: Yeah...

F1030 F: You can't say something to them...ähm... you don't speak in deutsch, so whenever you go there, you will face this difficulties...

F1031 I: So what happens when you come here to Germany, you have to go to the "Ausländerbehörde"..., to talk to them there directly?

F1032 F: Ah you mean at the first days?

F1033 I: Yeah...

F1034 F: Oh..., it is not so difficult at that time, because...ahm,... we will /?/ it in many issues...ah... different kind of difficulties we meet at that time, for example...ähm..., I have been caught in the boarder inside Germany..., then the police sent me to the prison,...then after a week in prison, I have been transfered to a detension camp in äh, in München, then... when I got there, I asked the people who where in that camp, where is the "Ausländerbehörde", then they told me and I have an address, the police gave me an address, of the "Ausländerbehörde" building in München, in Bayerbrunner Straße,... then directly I went there and I didn't get many difficulties to reach them.

F1035 I: Yeah,... ok... then the next question is mmmhhh..., the contact with the "Ausländerbehörde", I think there are two different ways to contact you and vice verca... , the one is talking to them directly, so face to face, and the other one is written... they also write you?

F1036 F: Yeah, yeah, they write me the address of the place,... they write me all the information related my case..., the police wrote me, and that letters they where with me..., whenever I got there, I showed the letters then they accepted me and they started my process...

F1037 I: So there is both, the contact is face to face, when you talk, when you are there, and there is also written contact, when they write you letters...

F1038 F: Yeah, yeah...

F1039 I: Ah, ok..., so this are the two different ways of contact you have with the "Ausländerbehörde"...

F1040 F: Yeah, yeah...

F1041 I: Ok..., then I think we will start with the... ähm... communication problems, that base on language problems... ok, now,...

F1042 F: Ahh,... this is I think the main issue for our difficulties,... between us and to the "Ausländerbehörde",...ähnd..., when I was in München, München was easier to communicate,... that authorities in there and we didn't have any problems while we were in München, because even if you can't speak deutsch, they allow you to speak in englisch, because they know, that you are new in Germany..., but when we are transfered here, what we are complaining is that the "Ausländerbehörde",...in Augsburg, not in München...Augsburg authorities, they are dealing you, that you have been in Germany more than two years,..., that you can speak in German, and we are new in here,... we couldn't afford to speak in deutsch.

F1043 I: But why do they think that you have been in Germany for more than two years?

F1044 F: That's what we are surprising, that question, it is better to ask them... because, we are speaking in english, we didn't... improve our deutsch..., we are new in the country, so we told that we deserve to exchance any language that we can speak, like München, but here, they are asking you, you have to bring a translator...

F1045 I: Ja, ok...

F1046 F: And we can't hire a translator..., so it is better to them, to hire a translator for us..., to feel that...ah..., to do that work, otherwise to allow us to speak in english...

F1047 I: So, if I understod it right, problem here is, that the "Ausländerbehörde", when you come to talk to them, they don't allow... they don't accept english... they want you to speak German...

F1048 F: Yeah, and we are new in the country,..., so, we have..., we are asking them for two proposals... one, that they can hire a translator for them, ... to,... to make it possible to communicate to each other..., that is the first option..., the second option to allow us, to speak english, mostly Somalis, they speak english,..., to allow us to speak english,..., that we can easily communicate them...then in the comming future, maybe if someone be here in one year or more than one year, they can put preassure to speak deutsch, it is something normal...

F1049 I: So also for the Somalis who don't speak english at all, for them it is also not possible to come with a translator of Somali language - english..., they won't accept this?

F1050 F: No, they will accept, but we don't have it here...

F1051 I: Yeah, ... no..., they accept only a ... a translator who translates into German...

F1052 F:... to Somali?

F1053 I: Yeah...

F1054 F:... yeah, yeah, they accept, that is our best option, ...

F1055 I: But if there..., if you come there only with english, they will tell you you have to go again,..., and search for a... an english - german translator?

F1056 F: Yee..., english - german or somali - german, what they ask you is for a translator who can speak deutsch.

F1057 I: Ah,... ok, so in english communication is not allowed?

F1058 F: Ah,..äh,.. it is not allowed, yes...,... it is not allowed...

F1059 I: So they will send you away, if you only speak english...

F1060 F: Yeah... so that became us..., it is difficult for us, to... we feel, that we deserve better, because we are new in Germany ....eeend.... that is the biggest problem that we have... ....eeeh.... to the "Ausländerbehörde"..., it is the language communication....

F1061 I: And now,... is there any translator from english to ...,... you have to bring your own translator with you... did I understand this right?

F1062 F: Ahh,... yeah, but our own translation ... translator, maybe there are some Somalis who can speak deutsch, but everyone is going for his own work, he is busy, so he is saying I have no interest in go with you... so the "Ausländerbehörde" must hire a translator, to come the appointment days, and to make easily communicate each other..., otherwise, mostly we can speak english, ähm, and they speak english also, äh,... eeehm... those employees in the "Ausländerbehörde", they can speak english, so, we can help each other, even if someone who is Somali,... if he can't speak in english, he can get another Somali who can speak english easily in the camp and we can go with him and we can help him..., that is the two option, we have..., eeeh, really, it is very difficult for us, sometimes you will see some people who have an appointment, they won't get there, they won't get anything, they won't get any support, they have to return another day, so maybe only that day, it may take a month, for just to go there returning, ahm... that is the biggest or the main issue...

F1063 I: Yeah, so to..., to,... very brief, your proposal for a solution would be either to allow to speak english there, or that in the "Ausländerbehörde" there is one person who can translate...

F1064 F: To hire a translator...

F1065 I: Ah, ok, all right..., so this was especially ...äh... mouth communication, from face to face,... with written communication, the letters, that they send you, are there also comm.. äh.. problems to understand them?

F1066 F: Ah..., there is little problem, but not as much as I explained it the former issue, ..., letters, they send us directly to post here,..., and then, when we get the letters, we go to the Caritas,... so Caritas helped us to translate for us,... so in that side, or the post side, or the postal communication, we don't have much problems...

F1067 I: So written communication is less a problem...

F1068 F: Yeah... there is no problem for us

F1069 I: Ah ok, all right,... very good, ... so this was mouth and written, ... so now there might be some other problems I thought..., so, because, we have called, or I called it cultural problems... So this question is especially in the direction... ähm,... are there some offices that can be compared with "Ausländerbehörde" in Somalia? So first question would be, in Somalia, do you have many contact with offices, as "Ausländerbehörde", ... and so on?

F1070 F: Ähm, repeat it again please...

F1071 I: Ja,..., the question now is to find out the differences between Somalia and Germany, in,... when it comes to offices..., to... how people have to deal with offices, what people do with offices in their daily life..., because in Germany, people always have a lot of work to do with offices, there are many different offices in Germany, so we are used to communication with offices, so now, what I am intersted in is, how is it in Somalia,... are there also so many offices,... because I think it must be very confusing for you, you come here to Germany, and for everything there is an office..., "Ausländerbehörde", and so on and so on and so on... And I think, this will... is also a problem, because I think... or I can imagine that in Somalia, there is not an office for everything...

F1072 F: Äh..., ok, I got the point, that is a good question..., and as I know and as far as I know, ähm..., there will be a difference, because even the life standards of these two communities are different..., because the life standard in Germany is higher than those who are available in Somalia, or in other countries in Africa... because this is a developped nation and we are a Third World community, ... there is many differences, and even, when you are trying to... to meet, or to make, to follow your process, like this situations in Somalia, there is a big difference, ...maybe in Africa, not only in Somalia, even I can say in the Third World mostly they are corrupted eh, eh, eh, nations,...eehm..., when you are in your home, you can even get many things that you want,..., by phone, you can feel by phone, everything,...ähm,... and you can, you can, ähm, ähm..., it was easier at that time, when you were there, and, as you know, äh..., even when you are going in offices, maybe one ... agency or I can say one ehn, ehn, ehn... one agency or one eh, äh,... appartement, that you can cover all your needs at that day, maybe you wanted to follow like this process, to the interior ministery or, or foreign affairs ministery or something like that, ah,... eh, in one day, you can cover all your needs

F1073 I: In Somalia?

F1074 F: In Somalia, yeah..., ah, there is little bit confusing in here, äh.. so you will get many letters, many appointments, sometimes eh... as I have seen, it is not me, I didn't get my refugee status here, but some other Somalis, who already got their status, refugee status I mean, their document here, ah... maybe, the process will not end, even more than two or three months, you will supprise it, because every morning, they went to the "Ausländerbehörde"..., they went to the Sozialservice..., they went to the ARG, I don't know what it is,..., many different offices, and maybe they will say, we are waiting a letter, you have to come back another day, every morning they go there...

F1075 I: Ah..., no,... look, I am not surprised, because I grew up here in Germany, so I know all this offices and you have to go there and so on, but I think for people who did not grow up here, it must be very very confusing sometimes, ... because they are not used to all this office stuff, ... so this is why I am asking this question, because I think, this can also cause communication problems...

F1076 F: Yeah, yeah, a big..., big, I can say communication problem, we confuse it for this äh... unending meetings and appointments, but we have to accept,... we have to accept, and we have to learn something from this way, because, even me, I believe, that it is..., this system is better than the way we use it to have in Africa. Because, you see,... this must be clear, and must be legal... and you have to follow this legal procedure and you have to accept... but in Africa, it was different,... everything was easy, while we was there, but..., we have to develop the system, and we have to accept it... it is not a....

F1077 I: Yeah ok,... so you think it makes also some sense?

F1078 F: Yeah, yeeh, yeh,... something that we can learn, something that we can adapt in our countries, something that will be clear for everyone... for us, for the authorities, for those who related our issues... this /establishes?/ a process, and we have to follow up..., but all that we are asking is that, ... if they can make easier, or quicker, and the time it takes, the procedure, it will be glad for us... or it... will be highly appreciated...

F1079 I: Yeah, ok,... all right, ... , ok... I think this were most of my questions...ah..., so maybe once more for the last question, do you think that this cultural differences between Somalia and Germany, ... is also a big problem or is it acceptable for most refugees from Somalia?

F1080 F: Äh, which side you are talking, the "Ausländerbehörde" or... or, the whole cultural problems?

F1081 I: No, not whole cultural problems, especially the... the problem with the offices..., as you told me in Somalia, you managed to do everything in one day, maybe there was also corruption, but it is all very faster and easier...

F1082 F: Yeah, yeah...

F1083 I: Here it is different, everything has to be legal, everything takes its time, do you think this is also a problem for many refugees or is the bigger problem the language problem?

F1084 F: Äh, no..., the biggest problem is for the language problem..., even, we are feeling, that if we can speak deutsch, this process will be easier as we are facing now, because even the authorities, they are giving you more respect, when we are speaking in deutsch,... they will welcome you, you will get a good hospitality,... they will ask you your feeling and what you are intending to come there..., then they will do what they can do for you,... but when you are alone, just having an appointment, they are not giving you much respect, ... I don't know, they are saying you have to come another day..., just go back..., so, sometimes we are feeling isolated,..., when you can't ... demonstrate your feeling, when you can't ... tell him your feeling, when you could't get a chance to... to listen for your... ehm, eh, ehm, for your ... ähm intention, then, it is little bit difficult, but I hope that it /subside?/ will end, /if something happens for the early days?/, something happen

F1085 I: Yes,..., so I think this were all my questions..., then I thank you very much, that you took time, to meet with me and talk to me...

F1086 F: Ok, thank you...