Does anyone speak French?

Mrs C is away again this week…the upside is I have the office to myself which means peace to get on with stuff…the downside is feeling guilty if I have to turn away people who have come for registration with the NMC.

Its an incredibly lengthy process at the best of times, when the person doesn’t speak English or Chichewa it becomes even more strung out and its quite painful having to sit by and listen to the drama that unfolds.

Yesterday a girl came to register, all her documents present and correct…and I just couldn't tell her we couldn't help her so I fished out the relevant form, got a letter of introduction organised and off she went…done! Piece of cake – whats all the fuss about I thought?

Well, 20 minutes later, a chap turns up…we get him an application form and he sits down to fill it in. Then 2 more chaps turn up but its not so straightforward, they don’t speak much English and no Chichewa, only French. I didn’t have a hope of being able to tell them in my extremely limited French (Bonjour!) what the process was and that they had to get all their document translated before they’d be considered for registration. So I took a chance and phoned a Lady who’d been through here acting as a translator for another applicant last week to ask where they might get that done. The French Embassy (should have thought of that!) was a good suggestion but the Malawi one is actually in Zambia (not sure why but not so useful). I asked the Lady though if she would mind giving me the contact number of the guy she was helping so that at least these chaps could try at get in touch with him directly since he knows the deal.

Just as we were getting there, all three guys now sitting round Mrs C’s desk scribbling away on the forms (pregnant wife of one of them, ready to pop, perching half her bottom on a chair as well) another one turns up – French speaker, from the same place as Chaps 2 and 3, but has been working in Tanzania so speaks Swahili, same as Chap 1. So we all stop what we’re doing and have a conflab…I tell Chap 1 (speaks English and Swahili) what to do and he tells Chap 4 in Swahili, who then translates into French and passes everything on to Chaps 2 and 3. I think we probably lost quite a bit along the way but after a good couple of hours Chap 1 had completed all the necessary and will come back with his passport photos next Wednesday to get final approval. Chaps 2 and 3 took their forms and the number of the Brother of the Man that Speaks French that the Lady helped, so they can all buddy up and they will come back next Wednesday. Chap 4 also took his form, went off with his new friends and will come back with them, also on Wednesday.

I will be out of the office on Wednesday!