People living in the city of Aachen who do not have sufficient German language skills are supported through state funding from the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees, and Integration of North Rhine-Westphalia, are supported by lay language mediators at various public organizations and institutions (e.g., religious communities, independent organizations, schools, daycare centers) in dealing with a variety of life issues.
The Volunteer Language Mediator Pool offers a wide range of language services and enables volunteer language mediators to work throughout the city of Aachen. These volunteer language mediators are not certified or professional interpreters, but rather people who volunteer their time and take on this role in their free time. To ensure quality, they regularly participate in training sessions offered by the Municipal Integration Center.
Lay language mediators are people who have a good knowledge of German and a very good knowledge of at least one other language. The assignments to overcome language barriers in the city of Aachen are coordinated by the Municipal Integration Center of the City of Aachen.