Idea 2: Publishing in people's first language (2 mins)
Every day during September we will post up an idea for you to vote on. The most popular ideas will become the things that the inaugural Organizing Committee of the Critical Physiotherapy Network focuses on in 2015. So please make sure you cast your vote at the bottom of each post.
The Critical Physiotherapy Network has quickly become an international collective. We have people from 17 countries who speak at least 10 different languages. While we've conducted most of our business thus far in English, that doesn't mean we don't recognize that this is problematic and try to be a bit more inclusive in the way we share our ideas. It would be a bit hypocritical for us to claim that we were a group interested in critical thinking, and then perpetuate colonial attitudes by publishing only in English.
One of the most significant features of physiotherapy is its orthodox status. The profession has been firmly anchored to the dominant culture of biomedicine for much of its history, and this has offered the profession a social standing that other professional groups can only dream of. But with that status comes a degree of 'blindness' to those in a less powerful position. It is as New Zealand poet and GP Glenn Colquohoun wrote; 'The most difficult thing about majorities is not that they cannot see minorities but that they cannot see themselves.'
Anyway, Portuguese, Dutch and Swedish are not minority languages and shouldn't be treated as such. So what we're suggesting is that wherever possible, we will provide opportunities for people to publish in their first language and provide support for translation whenever its needed.
Post update: please note that voting is now closed, but please feel free to post your comments in the space below
Since this idea was published in September 2014, translations of the constitution are available to read/download here & a number of blogposts have been translated too (thanks to network members who have made that possible).